US agrees to withdraw troops from Niger amid Sahel region’s pivot to Russia
Al Jazeera
The US built a base in the desert city of Agadez at the cost of $100m for manned and unmanned surveillance flights.
The United States will withdraw its soldiers from Niger as the West African nation is increasingly turning to Russia and away from Western powers.
The US Department of State agreed to pull out about 1,000 troops from the country that has been under military rule since July 2023, US media reported late on Friday.
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Nigerien Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine met on Friday, the reports said, with Washington committing to begin planning an “orderly and responsible” withdrawal of its troops from the country.
The US built a military base in Niger to combat armed groups that pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) in the Sahel region, which also includes Burkina Faso and Mali.
The major airbase in Agadez, some 920km (572 miles) from the capital Niamey was used for manned and unmanned surveillance flights and other operations.
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