The United States has withdrawn most of its military personnel deployed to Nigeria following the completion of a joint counterterrorism mission in the Lake Chad Basin, while maintaining intelligence sharing and security cooperation with Nigerian authorities.
US Air Forces in Africa Commander, General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, said the mission successfully disrupted ISIS operations in the region and demonstrated the effectiveness of intelligence-driven partnerships over long-term foreign troop deployments.
According to Anderson, the US will continue supporting Nigeria through intelligence sharing and specialised capabilities, including efforts that recently helped eliminate the second-highest-ranking ISIS leader during a joint operation.
He also described Nigeria as a key security partner in Africa and called for stronger regional cooperation to combat terrorism, drug trafficking, and other cross-border crimes across the continent.
