NEW YORK, August 5. /TASS/. The US military has handed over control over its last base in Niger to the local armed forces, completing the withdrawal of troops from the country, the New York Times reported.
According to the initial plans, the complete withdrawal of US troops from Niger was to be completed by September 15. However, on August 5, the US military left Air Base 201 in the city of Agadez in northern Niger, removing weapons and "sensitive technologies." They had previously left Air Base 101 in Niamey in July.
A small number of troops will remain at the US embassy in Niger for a while to settle administrative issues, the New York Times added. According to the newspaper, the withdrawal of US troops from Niger was not as chaotic as the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In March, Niger broke a military agreement with the US, under which an American drone base was established in the north of the African country. The country's authorities pointed out that the agreement was imposed and not in the interest of the people. At the end of 2023, there were about 1,100 US servicemen in Niger, most of them stationed at a base near Agadez (in the north of the country).
Before the coup in the summer of 2023, as a result of which Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown by Presidential Guard Commander Abdourahmane Tchiani, US servicemen provided training and intelligence to the country's troops.