FIGHTING TERRORISM: US sends military equipment to NAF

The United States has delivered military equipment to the Nigerian Air Force as part of efforts to strengthen the security partnership between the two countries and support Nigeria’s counter-terrorism operations.

The United States Africa Command revealed this in a post on the handle X on Thursday, along with an image of the US Air Force C-17 aircraft delivering the equipment.

AFRICOM said the equipment was supplied under a foreign military sales agreement between the two countries.

” PARTNERSHIP ACTION: A U.S. Air Force C-17 delivered equipment to the Nigerian Air Force this weekend. The equipment is part of a foreign military sales agreement that advances the U.S.-Nigeria partnership and will aid Nigeria’s efforts to counter terrorism in the region,” the command said.

This latest deployment comes against a backdrop of continued military cooperation between Nigeria and the United States, including training and capacity building programs.

On August 23, US forces began training Nigerian troops in unmanned aircraft systems, combat casualty care, and other military skills at the Bauchi Operations Site, as part of efforts to strengthen security cooperation between the two countries.

According to AFRICOM, the training includes combat rescue instruction and tactical combat casualty care, weapons familiarization, camouflage, water treatment and testing, explosive ordnance disposal, small unit tactics and unmanned aircraft systems.

The command said the training was developed based on existing expertise among U.S. forces and areas identified by their Nigerian counterparts as areas of benefit.

He added that the unmanned aircraft system attracted particular interest among Nigerian troops, with about 10 members of the Nigerian Air Force Special Forces Regiment receiving practical training in operating the system.

US personnel also trained Nigerian troops in techniques for using unmanned aircraft systems and incorporating information gathered by those systems into military operations.

This development follows AFRICOM’s disclosure in July that the United States had withdrawn the majority of its troops deployed to Nigeria for certain counter-terrorism operations, while maintaining an intelligence and security exchange partnership with the country.

Despite the withdrawal, the two countries continue to engage in military cooperation through intelligence exchange, training and other capacity building initiatives.