US has begun talks to withdraw its troops from Niger: Pentagon

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US has begun discussions with Niger on the withdrawal of its troops from the country, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday.

"We can confirm the beginning of discussions between the US and Niger for the orderly withdrawal of US forces from the country," said Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, stressing that the US has approximately 1,100 forces there right now.

Ryder added that the Defense Department is providing a small delegation from the Pentagon and US Africa Command to participate in the discussions.

"In terms of departure timing, we're not going to speculate and get ahead of discussions, so we'll keep you updated on additional details as we have them to provide," he added.

Niger is ruled by a junta which ousted elected President Mohamed Bazoum last July, citing a worsening security situation.

The West African country terminated its longstanding military agreement with Washington in early March this year, declaring the presence of all US troops and contractors "illegal" because "it was not democratically approved and imposes unfavorable conditions on Niger, particularly in terms of lack of transparency on military activities," according to Nigerien government spokesman Amadou Abdramane.

During the previous governments in Niger, US troops trained Nigerien forces in counterterrorism.