U.S approves $346m weapons sale to Nigeria to fight terrorism

The U.S approved the sale of $346 million worth of munitions, bombs, and precision rockets to Nigeria to help its West African ally combat a surge in terrorist violence.

The deal will support the foreign policy goals of the United States by improving the security of a strategic partner in Sub-Saharan Africa, the U.S State Department said in a press release, Wednesday.

The Nigerian government requested a long list of weapons, according to the statement, including more than a thousand MK-82 500 lb bombs – a weapon which was most recently used by the Israeli military to bomb civilians in Gaza.

The deal also included 5000 precision rocket Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS), laser-guided bomb kits, high-explosive rockets, as well as technical personnel services.

”The proposed sale will improve Nigeria’s capability to meet current and future threats through operations against terrorist organisations and to counter illicit trafficking in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea”, the State Department said.

Nigeria has experienced a surge in attacks in the North by terrorist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

The insurgency has led to widespread displacement, with thousands killed and entire communities uprooted, but Nigeria’s military is ramping up offensives to reclaim territories.

The country has eliminated 592 terrorists in the northeastern state of Borno over the past eight months, Chief of Air Staff Hasan Abubakar, announced on Tuesday.

"This year, our air campaign is quicker, more precise, and more surgical," Abubakar said, "We are eliminating high-value targets, crippling logistics networks, and dismantling cells that threaten peace in the northeast."

A new delivery of precision weapons from the U.S. could be a major boost to Nigeria’s counter-terrorism operations.