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Nigeria says 100 more U.S. military personnel arrive to tackle Islamists

DAKAR, Feb 16 (Reuters) - About 100 U.S. military personnel have arrived in Nigeria as Washington scales up an operation to target Islamist insurgents, a Nigerian defence spokesperson said.

Reuters
epa10515509 A Nigerien special forces soldier takes part in Flintlock 2023 which is a U.S. Africa Command annual special operations event, in Jacqueville, Ivory Coast, 11  March 2023. Flintlock is U.S. Africa Command's first and largest annual special operations exercise combining military and law enforcement to build the capabilities of African and international special operations forces. The exercise, which has been held since 2005, is conducted on the basis of mutual respect and collaboration to advance the common interests of regional stability. The host countries this year are Ghana and Ivory Coast, about 1300 soldiers from 30 countries are participating. Flintlock aims to build the capacity of key partner countries in the region to counter violent extremist groups, collaborate across borders and keep their people safe, while respecting human rights and building trust with civilian populations. The African countries participating this year are Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Libya, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Morocco and Tunisia. Other participants are Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, UK United and the United States, according to U.S. Africa Command's official website.  EPA/LEGNAN KOULA Flintlock, military manoeuvres in Jacqueville

U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from Islamist militants in the northwest.

Nigeria denies discriminating against any religion, saying its security forces target armed groups that attack both Christians and Muslims.

The U.S. carried out strikes targeting Islamic State-linked militants in December, and a small U.S. military team has been operating on the ground to boost Nigeria's intelligence capabilities.

In recent days, several planes carrying U.S. troops and equipment have headed to Nigeria's northern states, according to flight tracking data reviewed by Reuters.

Major General Samaila Uba, spokesperson for Nigeria's Defence Headquarters, said the troops would train and advise local forces, but not take part in combat.

Earlier this month, Nigeria's military said it expected around 200 more U.S. troops.

Presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare said Nigeria needed "massive support from the U.S. government" in terms of fighter jets and munitions, but declined to give numbers or a timeframe.

Nigeria's 240 million people are evenly split between Christians mainly in the south and Muslims mainly in the north.

It acknowledges serious security problems, including from Islamist fighters, but denies that Christians face widespread or systematic persecution.


(Reporting by Jessica Donati, and MacDonald Dzirutwe in Lagos; Editing by Timothy Heritage and Kevin Liffey)

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