US military completes withdrawal from junta-ruled Niger, says official

The withdrawal of US troops from Niger is complete, an American official said Monday.

A small number of military personnel assigned to guard the US Embassy remain, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters.

Earlier this year, Niger's ruling junta ended an agreement that allowed US troops to operate in the West African country. A few months later, officials from both countries said in a joint statement that US troops would complete their withdrawal by the middle of September.

The US handed over its last military bases in Niger to local authorities last month, but about two dozen American soldiers had remained in Niger, largely for administrative duties related to the withdrawal, Singh said.

Niger's ouster of American troops following a coup last year has broad ramifications for Washington because it's forcing troops to abandon critical bases that were used for counterterrorism missions in the Sahel. Groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group operate in the vast .