US hopes to maintain some forces in Niger as talks on withdrawal continue, officials say

The US is trying to negotiate an agreement with the military junta that took over Niger last July to leave behind a small contingent of US forces, even as a broad withdrawal order has been issued to enable the departure of the majority of the less than 1,000 US troops in the West African nation, according to US officials.

The US is trying to negotiate an agreement with the military junta that took over Niger last July to leave behind a small contingent of US forces, even as a broad withdrawal order has been issued to enable the departure of the majority of the less than 1,000 US troops in the West African nation, according to US officials. While some US officials have started conversations with Niger about what the withdrawal will look like, the civilian head of US special operations told CNN this week that the Pentagon has yet to have more detailed conversations with Niger, which will largely focus more on logistics of the withdrawal. Officials said a US delegation will travel to Niger over the weekend to discuss how it will be carried out. “We’ll make the most out of the situation that was presented to us but the intent is in Niger, to draw down to a level that the Nigerians can live with,” Chris Maier, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, told CNN. “Niger is pretty profound in the decision of the government there … to have us depart or at least go to very low numbers,” Maier said. Among the issues defense officials must resolve in their meetings with Niger’s government is an agreement to allow US military flights in and out of the country. Since the coup in July, airspace has been closed over Niger to foreign militaries who have all had to submit individual requests for airspace to conduct military flights, one US official told CNN.