US Training for Nigerian Special Forces on Drone Technology
US Africa Command (AFRICOM) revealed that American officers are training Nigerian soldiers in drone technology to counter the growing threat posed by the use of such technology by the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP), following more than 20 terrorist attacks launched by the group in northeastern Nigeria using drones.
In a report published on its website, AFRICOM stated that “US and Nigerian forces are strengthening their partnership through training on unmanned systems at the Bauchi Operations Site,” a city in northern Nigeria located not far from the epicenter of the fight against ISWAP, where US forces have been concentrated since January of last year.
AFRICOM emphasized that the training in the Bauchi area covered many fields, “but focused specifically on drone systems and technology.” Staff Sergeant Mark Murphy, an intelligence analyst attached to the 13th Sustainment Support Battalion, led the training on these systems for approximately 10 members of the Nigerian Air Force Special Forces Regiment.
According to the source, the training began with a 45-minute theoretical session before moving to practical and applied exercises. Murphy noted that “the system is relatively easy to learn; after receiving instructions on basic controls, participants were able to start the drone themselves.”
Murphy added, “They were extremely enthusiastic about the direct hands-on experience and eager to receive further training on it in the future.” He clarified that the training went beyond merely operating the drone; it also included “techniques for using unmanned systems and how to integrate and exploit the information and data collected by the systems in field operations.”
Murphy further stated that the training provided participants with the opportunity to practice a responsibility he considers essential to his role as a non-commissioned officer, saying, “I enjoy training soldiers; I believe one of the primary tasks of the non-commissioned officer corps within the army is to train soldiers and prepare them for duty.”
Reports indicate that terrorist groups, particularly ISWAP, have been increasingly using cheap commercial drones since 2020 after locally modifying them. Since 2024, they have employed these drones in armed attacks after modifying them further and attaching hand grenades or homemade explosives to transform them into “suicide drones.”
