Bangladesh, Feb. 4 -- The United States has quietly deployed a “small team” of military personnel to Nigeria, marking a notable shift in Washingtons security engagement with Africas most populous country and signaling renewed American military attention to the continent more broadly. The move, officially confirmed on February 3 by the head of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), comes amid persistent Islamist insurgencies in Nigeria and evolving geopolitical calculations in Washington.

Speaking at a press briefing, AFRICOM commander General Dagvin R. M. Anderson said the deployment followed direct discussions with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and was undertaken at Abujas request. According to Anderson, the American contingent b...