by Nurat Uthman
The U.S. has completed its withdrawal of military forces and assets from its last military base in Niger, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Niger announced in a joint statement Monday.
The completion marks the end of the United States’ counterterrorism mission in the country, even as violent extremism continues to increase across the Sahel region.
Only a “handful” of American military personnel are still in Niger, a U.S. defense official told VOA following the announcement. Those who remain are working out of the embassy, including the top American officer overseeing the effort, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Ekman.
“It’s not mission complete yet because of a few administrative tasks, but for practical purposes, both bases are now in Nigerien hands,” a U.S. defense official told VOA on Monday following the announcement.
The effort formally began on May 19, when U.S. and Nigerien leaders agreed to a phased withdrawal of American forces from Niger after being in the country for more than a decade.
