United States President Donald Trump has pledged continued American support for Nigeria’s fight against terrorism in a letter to President Bola Tinubu, praising his leadership and commitment to tackling insecurity.

The letter, dated July 6 and released on Wednesday by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, was sent in response to an earlier correspondence from Tinubu, although the Nigerian president’s letter was not made public.

“Thank you for your thoughtful letter. Your kind words mean a great deal to me, and I appreciate your decisive leadership on behalf of the Nigerian people,” Trump wrote.

He commended Tinubu’s determination to address violence in Nigeria, particularly attacks on Christian communities, saying it was “a true honour” to stand with Nigeria in the fight against terrorism.

“The United States-Nigeria relationship is crucial at a time where conflict has spread across West Africa and around the world. We both share a mutual goal of confronting terrorism in all its forms,” Trump said.

He said the two countries’ 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap had established a framework for strengthening security cooperation.

Trump added that the United States had deployed Special Operations Forces to train Nigerian troops, providing them with skills, equipment and intelligence to combat terrorist groups and improve national security.

According to the statement released by Onanuga, security ties between Abuja and Washington have deepened in recent months through training, intelligence sharing and joint operations.

The statement said both leaders agreed in November last year to establish a Joint Working Group, co-chaired by the National Security Advisers of both countries, to coordinate counter-terrorism efforts.

It added that one outcome of the collaboration was a coordinated operation on May 16 against Islamic State hideouts in the Lake Chad region, during which Nigerian and allied forces killed senior Islamic State commander Abubakar Al-Minoki and several of his lieutenants.

The statement also said US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Frank Garcia visited Abuja last week, where he met senior Nigerian officials and reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to expanding bilateral cooperation on security and other areas.