THE United States is reportedly preparing to withdraw about 200 troops deployed to Nigeria as part of its counterterrorism efforts, following what American officials described as significant progress in the fight against Islamist militants.
According to The New York Times, the Pentagon plans to withdraw the troops by late September. The personnel were deployed earlier this year to support Nigerian forces through intelligence-sharing, training and other counterterrorism activities.
Although the deployment was relatively small, US and Nigerian officials reportedly said it produced notable results, particularly in intelligence cooperation and counterterrorism operations.
The planned withdrawal, however, will not end US military cooperation with Nigeria. Smaller teams of trainers and intelligence analysts are expected to remain in the country to continue supporting Nigerian security forces.
The development follows a May operation in the Lake Chad Basin that reportedly killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, identified as the second-in-command of ISIS. AFRICOM commander Dagvin Anderson later said the operation had significantly weakened ISIS’ leadership structure.
Anderson also said Nigeria remained active in preventing terrorists from sustaining themselves independently, while stressing that the US would continue its intelligence partnership with Nigeria despite the reduction in American personnel.
The troop reduction comes amid ongoing security cooperation between Abuja and Washington, including discussions on counterterrorism and the protection of vulnerable communities.
