US completes troop withdrawal from Niger

Photo: A US Air Force jet takes off from a base in Agadez, Niger, on August 5, 2024

The US has completed the withdrawal of troops from Niger. However, according to a statement by Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh, a small number of troops remain in the country to guard the US embassy.

Earlier this year, Niger's ruling junta ended an agreement that allowed U.S. troops to remain in the West African country. Months later, officials from both countries issued a joint statement saying the U.S. troops would complete their withdrawal by mid-September.

The U.S. handed over its last military bases in Niger to local authorities last month, but about 25 U.S. troops remained in the country, mostly to handle administrative duties related to the withdrawal, Singh said.

The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Niger after last year's coup has broad implications for Washington, the Associated Press reports, because the bases have been used for counterterrorism missions in the Sahel, a vast region south of the Sahara Desert that is home to groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State.

One such group, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen, operates in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, and is looking to expand into Benin and Togo.

Niger has been seen as one of the last countries in the troubled region with which Western governments could partner to push back against a growing jihadist insurgency. Until recently, the United States and France had more than 2,500 troops in the region and, along with other European countries, invested millions of dollars in military aid and training.

In recent months, Niger has turned away from its Western partners, turning to Russia for security assistance. Russian military trainers arrived in April to bolster its air defenses.

By Sergey Daga