(GoRealNewsNow.com) – In a bombshell declaration, the Pentagon recently announced that the U.S. military would complete its withdrawal from Niger by mid-September after extensive negotiations with Niger’s military junta.
The end of military cooperation followed last July when mutinous soldiers ousted the country’s democratically elected president.
A few months later, the ruling junta asked French forces to leave and turned to the Russian mercenary group Wagner for security assistance.
The timeline was the product of four days of talks between the countries’ defense officials in the capital city of Niamey, according to a joint statement.
Approximately 1,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Niger, which focused on counter-terrorism efforts against groups affiliated with Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
The plan involves airlifting most of the military equipment out of Niger by September, with all assets expected to be removed by the middle of the month.
Moreover, Nigerian Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine expressed dissatisfaction with the U.S. presence, stating:
“The Americans stayed on our soil, doing nothing while the terrorists killed people and burned towns. It is not a sign of friendship to come on our soil but let the terrorists attack us.”
Before these discussions with the U.S., Niger also instructed France to remove its troops, marking this forthcoming withdrawal as another strategic shift for the U.S. in Africa’s Sahel region, which has seen several coups in recent years that have generally worked in Russia’s favor.
In Mali, for example, where French forces were expelled in 2022, there has been a noticeable increase in territorial control by groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS.
Additionally, the Pentagon mentioned that discussions are ongoing regarding the withdrawal of about 100 U.S. troops stationed in neighboring Chad.
Further talks are expected next month to possibly revise the terms, allowing American forces to remain there.
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