US Army Lieutenant General John Brennan, deputy commander of United States Africa Command since April 2024, poses during a portrait session in Abuja on January 24, 2026. The US military is increasing materiel deliveries and intelligence sharing with Nigeria, a top general told AFP, as part of a broader American push to work with African militaries to go after Islamic State linked militants. The Pentagon has also kept open lines of communication with militaries in the junta-led Sahel countries of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali. The increased cooperation with Abuja follows Washington's diplomatic pressure on Nigeria over jihadist violence in the country, but also as the US military is becoming "more aggressive" in pursuing Islamic State linked targets on the continent, Lieutenant General John Brennan told AFP.