US Pulls Troops Out of Nigeria
The United States has withdrawn most of the military personnel it deployed to Nigeria for a joint counterterrorism operation in the Lake Chad Basin, while maintaining intelligence sharing and other security cooperation with the country.
The Commander of US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, disclosed this during a digital press briefing on the outcome of the African Chiefs of Defence Conference 2026.
He said the military operation had ended and most of the US personnel assigned to the mission had departed Nigeria, but stressed that Washington would continue supporting Nigeria through intelligence collaboration at the request of the Nigerian government.
“That operation in the Lake Chad Basin of Nigeria not only helped the countries in that immediate region; it also helps countries globally as that disrupts the ISIS network,” Anderson said.
“We have withdrawn much of our forces that were just there for that operation, but are continuing the partnership that Nigeria has asked for to help continue with the intelligence sharing and the understanding that’s necessary to be able to prosecute these difficult tasks,” he added.
The US commander described Nigeria as a capable partner with a strong military, noting that intelligence cooperation between both countries had produced significant gains in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS/Daesh).
According to him, US intelligence support combined with Nigerian military operations led to the successful elimination of the second-in-command of the global ISIS network.
“Nigeria is a very capable and large country. It has a strong economy, a large, educated population and a very capable military. There are things that we have learned in the counterterrorist fight over several years that we were able to integrate with them through intelligence sharing,” Anderson said.
“That cooperative effort enabled us to bring unique US capabilities and jointly prosecute the number two leader within the ISIS or Daesh organisation, who was responsible for much of its global operations, media and recruitment.”
He said the operation underscored the effectiveness of intelligence partnerships rather than prolonged foreign military deployments.
“As we go forward, that is an example of how we’re looking at engaging with partners to help them be more effective by only bringing unique US capabilities that allow the partner to be effective in these fights,” he stated.
Anderson also called for stronger intelligence sharing among African countries to tackle terrorism, illicit trafficking and other transnational crimes.
He disclosed that coordinated intelligence among the United States, African partners and international agencies recently resulted in the interception of a record 31-tonne cocaine shipment originating from South America and transiting through the West African coast.
“Through our interagency in the United States, AFRICOM and partner nations, it was eventually a Spanish ship that interdicted the vessel carrying 31 tonnes of cocaine, the largest maritime drug seizure we have ever seen,” he said.
He maintained that sustained collaboration among African countries, international partners and the private sector would remain vital in addressing security challenges while promoting economic stability and investment across the continent.
The United States deployed about 200 military personnel to Nigeria in February 2026 to support intelligence, surveillance and counterterrorism operations in the Lake Chad Basin as security cooperation between both countries intensified against ISIS and other terrorist groups.
The deployment followed the redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern by Donald Trump, who pledged increased US support for Nigeria's counterterrorism efforts.
On December 25, 2025, the US conducted air strikes on two terrorist enclaves in the Bauni Forest, while in May 2026, a joint US-Nigerian operation eliminated Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, identified as the second-in-command of ISIS, at his hideout in Borno State.
Source: PUNCH
Tags: #Nigeria #UnitedStates #CounterTerrorism
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