US To Pull Out 200 Troops From Nigeria By September

The United States is planning to withdraw about 200 military personnel deployed to Nigeria for counterterrorism operations, following what US officials described as major gains against Islamist militants in the region.

The withdrawal is expected to be completed by late September, according to The New York Times, and would mark a reduction in the size of the US military presence in Nigeria.

The American troops were deployed earlier this year to assist Nigerian forces in the fight against Islamist militants, providing intelligence, training and other counterterrorism support.

Despite the relatively small size of the deployment, US and Nigerian officials said the mission recorded notable successes, particularly in intelligence-sharing and counterterrorism operations.

However, the withdrawal will not end military cooperation between Washington and Abuja. The US is expected to retain small teams of trainers and intelligence analysts in Nigeria after the larger contingent leaves.

American officials also reportedly viewed the deployment as a potential model for future counterterrorism missions in Africa, combining a limited military presence with intelligence cooperation and support for local forces.

The planned withdrawal comes after a US-supported operation in the Lake Chad Basin in May that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of ISIS.

Commander of the US Africa Command, Dagvin Anderson, said last month that Washington had already withdrawn many of its troops from Nigeria following the operation.

According to Anderson, the May operation significantly weakened ISIS’ leadership structure in Nigeria and around the world.

He said Nigerian forces had remained “very active” since the operation, particularly in preventing terrorist groups from developing the capacity to sustain themselves independently.

Anderson added that the US would continue its intelligence partnership with Nigeria despite the reduction in American military personnel in the country.

The planned troop withdrawal comes amid ongoing security cooperation between Nigeria and the US, including discussions on counterterrorism and measures to protect vulnerable communities.

It also comes weeks after Nigeria and the US held the second round of talks in Washington under a joint working group established to address the protection of Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.

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