The Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), Dagvin Anderson, has announced that the US has withdrawn most of the troops deployed to support a recent counterterrorism operation in Nigeria while maintaining intelligence sharing and other security cooperation with the country. The deployment began in early February after the United States and the Nigerian government agreed to strengthen efforts against terrorist threats following a US strike on suspected ISIS fighters. At the time, US President Donald Trump said the militants were targeting Christians.
By mid-February, about 200 US troops had been deployed to north-east Nigeria. Although concerns were raised over the presence of foreign troops, Nigerian military authorities maintained that the US personnel would not take part in direct combat operations.
However, the troops later participated in a joint operation with Nigerian forces, leading to the killing of a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and several other terrorists in the North-east. Their operations were believed to have been concentrated in Borno State and other parts of the region affected by Boko Haram insurgency.
Anderson disclosed the withdrawal on Thursday during a virtual press briefing after the 2026 African Chiefs of Defence Conference in Luanda, Angola.He said most of the US forces deployed for the operation had been withdrawn but noted that cooperation with Nigeria continues through intelligence sharing and other forms of security assistance.
The AFRICOM commander did not disclose the number of troops withdrawn, when they left Nigeria or the locations where they had been stationed.As of the time of the announcement, neither the Nigerian military nor the Federal Government had issued an official statement on the reported withdrawal, while AFRICOM had also not released a separate public announcement.
Highlighting the US approach to supporting African-led security efforts, Anderson described the recent operation in Nigeria as an example of successful military cooperation. According to him, the joint mission enabled US and Nigerian forces to eliminate the second-highest-ranking ISIS leader responsible for many of the group’s global operations, media activities and recruitment efforts.
He added that the operation in the Lake Chad Basin disrupted both regional terrorist activities and parts of ISIS’ global network. The 2026 African Chiefs of Defence Conference brought together military leaders from 35 African countries, US defence officials and representatives of government agencies and private companies to discuss intelligence sharing, innovation, counterterrorism, maritime security and the relationship between security and economic development.
Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/
