AFRICOM general travels to Nigeria amid expanded US-Nigeria counterterror ties
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FIRST ON FOX: Terrorists are ‘on the run’ following last month’s US strikes aimed at stopping the killing of Christians in Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria’s Fox News Digital was told by a senior official from US Africa Command who visited Nigeria this week.
Three out of every four Christians killed for their religion worldwide were killed in Nigeria, according to the recently released persecution watchdog Open Doors World Watch List. It is said that an average of one Christian is killed there every two and a half hours.
“We are destroying the terrorists who are killing Christians in Nigeria. We hit them very hard. They killed thousands and thousands of Christians,” President Trump said Thursday in Davos, Switzerland.
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U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John W. Brennan, deputy commander of U.S. Africa Command, is coming to Nigeria this week to meet with Nigerians about improving security conditions in Nigeria and advancing coordinated efforts to protect vulnerable communities. (U.S. Army Sergeant 1st Class Kenneth Tucceri)
Last week, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John Brennan, the second-highest-ranking officer in U.S. Africa Command and a former U.S. Special Forces leader who served in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, served as a key member of the U.S. delegation to Nigeria. Speaking exclusively to Fox News Digital from Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, Brennan detailed US moves on the ground to combat the Islamic State and other jihadist terrorist groups.
Brennan gave Fox News Digital insight into the US military’s role in Nigeria right now: “We continue to provide them (Nigerians) with intelligence support, airborne ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), things that will make them more accurate. They also had some success following the Sokoto attack because of the activity that the attack generated across the network.”
“Many terrorists decided to flee the area, which gave Nigerians the opportunity to arrest them,” the general continued. But he added: “We are interested in enabling Nigerians to solve Nigeria’s problems. We want to ensure that they remain a pillar of security for the whole of West Africa, and they do. So it is in our mutual interest that we work together.”
“They have a terrorism problem,” Brennan said, “so we’re trying to create impacts that will prevent them and their borders from being damaged by terrorist organizations.”
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“I certainly have good reason to believe that the target was hit,” Illia Djadi, Open Doors’ Sub-Saharan Africa persecution analyst, told Fox News Digital. And he added, “and when I say target, I mean these armed men, people or groups, their camps were hit and it ended up damaging them. They’re running now. They’re running in different directions. Some sources say some of them are maybe fleeing to neighboring Niger, others to the south and to different parts of Nigeria.”
Djadi continued: “For all these years, they’ve been acting and attacking with relative impunity. But that’s changed now. They’re afraid now. They’ve been shot and they realize they could be shot again. So that’s the symbolism.”
Funeral service for approximately 27 Christians reportedly killed by Islamist Fulani tribesmen in Bindi Ta-hoss village, Nigeria, on July 28, 2025 (Courtesy: Christian Solidarity International (CSI))
“The bombing resonated beyond Nigeria’s borders,” Djadi said. “Even in Nigeria’s neighbors like Niger, Mali and other countries. People are watching because of what’s happening (thinking), if this can happen to Nigeria, it can happen to Mali, Niger or other places. They’re watching. They’re taking note of it.”
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On Thursday, at a plenary session in which Brennan was present, US and Nigerian officials met to discuss cooperation after President Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern.
“We are here today to determine how we can work together to deter violence against Christian communities by prioritizing counterterrorism and insecurity, investigating attacks, holding perpetrators accountable, and reducing the number of murders, forced displacements, and abductions of Christians,” Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker told those present.
The meeting took place in Abuja. Four days earlier, just over 80 miles away, the kidnapping of Christians continued; More than 160 worshipers are believed to have been abducted from three churches in northern Kaduna state during Sunday services.
At least 51 Christians were killed in another attack in Nigeria’s Plateau state. (Reuters)
In an interview with The New York Times earlier this month, President Trump said there could be more attacks against Nigeria, saying, “If they continue to kill Christians, this will be an attack that will be done many times.”
This week, when asked whether more strikes were possible, a US defense official told Fox News Digital: “That’s a matter for the White House. But I can tell you that our Nigerian partners want more help from us. And we will give them that help.”
There are some American boots on the ground, but their numbers are not significant, said Brennan, adding: “There’s a lot of assessment going on. So we have a small team that the Nigerians have invited and we’re working with them to assess their needs and create opportunities that we can both benefit from.”
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Brennan said some military equipment was brought in from the United States, but “this is not unusual. These are things (Nigerians) have already purchased, down to ammunition, things that will help them be more accurate in their operations against ISIS, West African State and Boko Haram.”
Rabiu Ibrahim, special assistant to Nigeria’s minister of information and national direction, told Fox News Digital: “Nigeria’s fundamental and abiding position is that terrorism in all its forms is a global scourge that requires a collective but sovereignly respectful response. US military actions in our region are viewed through this lens. We recognize that any action that truly disrupts the stability of the Sahel and the capacity of terrorist groups that threaten our own national security is a tactical component of a much larger strategic picture.”
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John W. Brennan, deputy commander of U.S. Africa Command, met with Nigerian officials when he arrived in Nigeria this week for talks on advancing coordinated efforts to improve security conditions and protect vulnerable communities in Nigeria. (U.S. Army Sergeant 1st Class Kenneth Tucceri)
Ibrahim added: “We have noted through our own intelligence and battlefield evidence that such external kinetic actions can disrupt command structures, disrupt logistics and create uncertainty among remnants of groups such as ISWAP and Boko Haram.” Ibrahim continued: “Our cooperation with the USA is solid, multifaceted and goes beyond mere rhetoric.” “There is a focus on key areas, including capacity building and training: Nigerian units have received advanced training, particularly in intelligence, aviation and special operations, which directly increases their operational effectiveness in the theater.”
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Ibrahim noted that Nigeria also benefits from the United States through material and technical support, including intelligence sharing and night vision capabilities, claiming that “this is not a patron-client relationship, but a partnership in which Nigeria’s leadership in the field is strengthened by specific, requested external support.”
