The USA has it started a slow transition from its exit from Niger in preparation for troop withdrawal, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Defense and the Niger Republic Department of National Defense.
“The U.S. Department of Defense and the Niger Republic Ministry of National Defense announce that the withdrawal of U.S. forces and assets from Niger has progressed from initial preparations to redeployment,” the statement reads. “This significant transition began with the departure of a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III from Air Force Base 101 in Niamey on June 7, 2024.”
“This flight exemplifies the productive cooperation between the U.S. and Nigerien armed forces through the Joint Disengagement Commission, which is tasked with overseeing and coordinating the orderly and safe withdrawal of U.S. forces from Niger,” the statement continues.
Last month, the Pentagon announced that the US military would withdraw all its assets in Niger by mid-September. That announcement followed a coup d’état in the North African country last year by a group of military leaders who formed a military junta government that aligned itself with Russia.
“Americans stood on our soil, doing nothing while terrorists killed people and burned down cities,” said Nigerian Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine. he said to The Washington Post in a report last month. “It is not a sign of friendship to come to our soil, but to let terrorists attack us.”
Before negotiations with the US on a withdrawal agreement, Niger ordered France to withdraw its troops. The imminent withdrawal is one of multiple disappointments for the US in the region that has suffered many coups d’état in recent years, which has been an advantage for Russia.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
