Friday, August 28, 2026 - The US is preparing to withdraw about 200 troops from Nigeria who were deployed this year to help fight Islamist militants, the New York Times reports.
The withdrawal, expected by late September, comes after
months of joint operations between U.S. and Nigerian forces, including
intelligence-sharing missions, special forces training and counterterrorism
operations targeting extremist groups in the country.
American and Nigerian officials told the New York Times that
the relatively small deployment to Nigeria had outsized results.
Small teams of trainers and intelligence analysts are,
however, expected to remain after the larger contingent leaves by late
September, according to the NYT report published on Thursday, August 27, citing
US military officials.
The report noted that American officials described the
deployment of troops in Nigeria as a model for future operations in Africa,
arguing that the relatively small force achieved significant
results, including the k!lling of Abu Bilal al-Minuki, a top Islamic State
figure, during a joint U.S.-Nigerian raid in May.
The troops were deployed to northeastern Nigeria in February
2026 after U.S. President Donald Trump criticised Nigeria’s handling of
terrorist violence, particularly attacks affecting Christian communities.
Last month, Dagvin Anderson, commander of US Africa Command
(AFRICOM), announced that the US had pulled back many of its troops
in Nigeria following the May operation that k!lled Abu-Bilal
al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS, in the Lake Chad Basin.
Anderson said the operation significantly degraded ISIS’
leadership in Nigeria and globally.
Despite those successes, militant attacks have continued
across Nigeria, with armed groups carrying out deadly assaults in recent weeks
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