US troops stationed in Niger will be halved, US Defense Department officials: in the coming weeks
According to a report on the website of the US Political Daily on September 8th, two US Department of Defense officials familiar with the situation said that as US troops withdraw from the capital Niamey in large-scale protests, the US military is preparing to reduce its presence in Niger by nearly half in the coming weeks.
According to reports, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters on the 7th that the Ministry of Defense has recently begun transferring some troops from Niamey Airport to a smaller base in Agadez, 500 miles away. An official from the Ministry of National Defense, who declined to be named, said that in the coming weeks, the total number of troops stationed in Niger may decrease from 1200 before the coup to 500 to 1000.
This will be the first large-scale withdrawal of US troops from Niger since the military government took power at the end of July.
In April 2018, the flags of the United States and Niger were raised side by side at a personnel camp supporting the construction of the Agadez Air Force Base in Niger.
The report states that any significant reduction in the US military presence in Niger will have an impact on the counter-terrorism efforts in the Sahel. According to reports, the French military, which also has important troops stationed in Niger, is in talks with the military government regarding the withdrawal of troops.
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US Department of Defense officials have warned that the exact number of US troops remaining in Niger after redeployment has not yet been finalized. Officials say this number depends on how many people Agadez can accommodate and how many people Pentagon leaders determine are needed to continue counter-terrorism operations.