US army completes withdrawal from Niger: Pentagon

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The withdrawal of US troops from Niger is "complete," a Pentagon official said Monday.

"This process began on May 19th following the mutually established withdrawal conditions,” Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters.

"The effective cooperation and communication between the United States and Nigerien armed forces ensured that the safe, orderly and responsible withdrawal was completed without complications by the mutually decided date of Sept. 15, 2024,” she added.

Singh said there is now just a standard embassy presence in the West African nation.

This March, Niger terminated its longstanding military agreement with the US, declaring the presence of all US troops and contractors "illegal."

A few months later, officials from both countries said in a joint statement that the withdrawal of nearly 1,000 US military personnel from the country would be completed by the middle of September.

Previously, the Pentagon said the withdrawal of US forces from Niger does not affect the continuation of US-Niger development relations. The US and Niger are committed to ongoing diplomatic dialogue to define the future of their bilateral relations, it stressed.