The U.S. Department of Defense and the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Niger have announced the completion of the withdrawal of U.S. forces and assets from Air Base 201 in Agadez. This process began on May 19 after mutual withdrawal conditions were established. Over the coming weeks, coordination between U.S. and Nigerien armed forces will continue to ensure the complete withdrawal is finalized as planned.
Nigerien Air Base 201, located near Agadez in central Niger, was enhanced by the United States to bolster defense cooperation with the Nigerien armed forces and support regional counterterrorism efforts. For the past decade, U.S. troops have trained Niger’s forces and assisted in partner-led counterterrorism missions targeting Islamic State and al Qaeda in the region.
The effective cooperation and communication between the U.S. and Nigerien armed forces facilitated an ahead-of-schedule and complication-free turnover. Both the U.S. Department of Defense and the Nigerien Ministry of National Defense acknowledge and honor the sacrifices made by the forces of both nations.–News Desk