The Washington Post reported that the US has agreed to withdraw its troops from Niger. The decision was made during a meeting between US Under Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Niger Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine.
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| Niger Air Base 201 in Agadez, Niger. (Source: AP) |
“ The prime minister (of Niger) has asked us to withdraw US troops and we have agreed to that request,” a senior US diplomat said on condition of anonymity.
Last month, the rebels who took power in Niger canceled a military agreement with the United States that had allowed the United States to deploy about 1,100 troops in the West African country.
On July 26, 2023, a group of soldiers from the Niger Presidential Guard (PG) carried out a coup to overthrow President Mohamed Bazoum and declared the removal of his power.
After the coup, the rebels established the National Council for the Defense of the Fatherland, headed by PG Commander General Abdourahmane Tchiani.
According to international security observers, Niger has long been considered an important partner of the US in Northwest Africa, especially in the superpower's counter-terrorism operations in the region over the past decade. However, US-Niger relations have deteriorated, most notably when the US cut off most of its military and foreign aid to Niger late last year, following a military coup in July 2023.
International political and security experts say that if the US is forced to withdraw from Niger, its counterterrorism efforts across the region could be affected. Most notably, US drones flying from an airbase in the Niger city of Agadez help the US monitor threats in the Sahel region from a relatively favorable and stable position, especially in the context of terrorist organizations escalating violence in some of Niger's neighboring countries, Mali and Burkina Faso.
Therefore, the US losing its “foothold” in Niger will certainly cause many disadvantages. On the other hand, the US withdrawal of 650 troops stationed in Niger will also create a vacuum that extremist Islamic organizations can exploit.
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