The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Niger is now complete, a U.S. official confirmed Monday.
A small contingent of military personnel remains to guard the U.S. Embassy, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters.
Earlier this year, Niger’s ruling military junta terminated a security agreement that had allowed U.S. forces to operate in the West African nation. Both countries announced in a joint statement that U.S. troops would finish their exit by mid-September.
The U.S. handed over its last military bases in Niger to local authorities last month, although about two dozen American soldiers stayed behind to manage administrative tasks related to the withdrawal, according to Singh.
The ousting of American forces following last year’s coup has significant implications for U.S. operations in the region. Niger served as a strategic hub for counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel, where extremist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are active.
Among these groups is Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), which operates in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, and is seeking to expand its reach into neighboring Benin and Togo.
