The United States has delivered military equipment to the Nigerian Air Force in Lagos and Kainji, Niger State, to support Nigeria’s counterterrorism operations.
The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said Thursday that the equipment was delivered in September aboard a US Air Force C-17 aircraft under a Foreign Military Sales agreement between both countries.
AFRICOM said the delivery would strengthen the US-Nigeria security partnership and support Nigerian-led efforts to combat terrorism.
The command said US military support to Nigeria was provided at the country’s invitation and respected its sovereignty.
The delivery comes amid continued security cooperation between both countries following a joint operation in May that killed senior ISIS commander Abu-Bilal al-Minuki in northeastern Nigeria. Nigerian and US authorities said the operation was supported by intelligence sharing and military cooperation.
The United States has since begun withdrawing most of the troops deployed to Nigeria while maintaining intelligence cooperation and other security support. Nigeria confirmed in September that about 200 US personnel were being withdrawn, with aspects of the security partnership expected to continue.
