US military officials are expected to meet this morning with rebels holding parts of the Liberian capital, Monrovia in a bid to persuade the rebels to withdraw.
The move come less than 24 hours after Nigerian peacekeepers started patrols in the city; they are seeking to extend their patrols and get food and medical aid to residents.
The Nigerian soldiers were greeted as heroes by hundreds of thousands of war-weary Liberians. After yesterday's show of force, the peacekeepers were due to visit other areas of the city today, though it was not clear if they would venture into rebel-held territory.
President Charles Taylor, a former warlord now wanted for war crimes by a UN-backed court in Sierra Leone, is due to hand over power to his vice president next Monday and leave the country shortly afterwards. But he has not yet set a date for his departure.
Rebels fighting to oust him say they will withdraw from Monrovia, where they hold the port, only when he leaves, and have said the vice president is not acceptable as a replacement.
Three attacks since June by the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy have killed at least 2,000 and left hundreds of thousands of people destitute in Monrovia.