U.S. to withdraw troops from Niger

(DW) – The U.S. has agreed to withdraw its troops from Niger, officials said. Washington has more than 1,000 troops in the West African nation and also operates a major drone base there. U.S. officials told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity that a call to remove troops by the leader of Niger's military…

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(DW) – The U.S. has agreed to withdraw its troops from Niger, officials said. Washington has more than 1,000 troops in the West African nation and also operates a major drone base there. U.S. officials told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity that a call to remove troops by the leader of Niger's military junta, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, was accepted by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.

A U.S. delegation is expected to travel to the country's capital, Niamey, in the coming days to organize the withdrawal, officials said. Niger's state television announced the visit would happen next week, but the U.S. State Department has not made any official announcement.

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Niger was an important base for the U.S. and France in their war against jihadists in West Africa. The U.S. also built a $100 million (€93 million) drone base known as Air Base 201 near the central city of Agadez. The base has been used to target Islamic State militants and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, an al-Qaida affiliate, in the Sahel region since 2018. However, in recent times it was being used for surveillance to protect U.S. troops.

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