The United States has built a $100 million base for manned and unmanned reconnaissance flights in the desert city of Agadez.
The United States is withdrawing its troops from Niger as West African countries increasingly lean toward Russia and distance themselves from the West.
The US State Department has agreed to withdraw about 1,000 troops from the country, which has been under military rule since July 2023, US media reported late Friday.
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Nigerian Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Ramin Zein met on Friday, with the US government pledging to begin planning for an “orderly and responsible” troop withdrawal from Nigeria, according to reports. did.
The United States has built a military base in Niger to fight insurgents pledging allegiance to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS) in the Sahel region, which includes Burkina Faso and Mali.
The main air base in Agadez, about 920 kilometers (572 miles) from the capital Niamey, was used for manned and unmanned surveillance flights and other operations.
The base, known as Air Force Base 201, was built at a cost of more than $100 million. Since 2018, it has been used to target ISIL fighters and the al-Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM).
While maintaining lines of communication with Niger's military junta, U.S. forces have begun preparing for the possibility of having to withdraw, and U.S. Army Gen. James Hecker said last year that Washington has established troops elsewhere in West Africa. He said he was investigating “several locations” to do so. Drone.
Nigerian state television reported that U.S. officials will visit next week. There was no announcement from the State Department regarding the withdrawal, and officials said no deadline had been set yet.
In March, Niger announced it would suspend its military agreement with the United States and ask for the withdrawal of its soldiers.
The US is forced to withdraw from Niger. This is because Niger is not liked by its ruling forces or by its people, who reject postcolonial forces. Demonstrators took to the streets of the capital earlier this month to demand the withdrawal of US troops.
Like the military regimes in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, the West African country expelled French and European forces after military occupation.
The three countries are now turning to Russia for help, and Moscow confirmed earlier this month that it had sent military trainers, air defense systems and other military equipment to Niger to strengthen security ties.
In addition to armed groups, the conflict-ridden Sahel region is also a major route for drug trafficking, with the United Nations saying an average of 1,466 kg (3,232 pounds) of cocaine was seized in Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Niger. Between 2013 and 2020 it was only 13 kg (28.7 lb).
