DHQ clarifies US troop withdrawal, says Nigeria-US security partnership remains intact
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has clarified that the recent withdrawal of some United States troops from Nigeria involved personnel temporarily deployed for a counterterrorism mission in the Lake Chad Basin and did not affect the US forces engaged in ongoing intelligence-sharing and military cooperation with Nigeria.
Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, made the clarification on Friday following reports suggesting that the United States had withdrawn its troops from Nigeria after completing a counterterrorism operation.
According to Uba, the withdrawal concerned additional US personnel deployed specifically for operations in the Lake Chad Basin, while the contingent supporting long-standing joint intelligence and training activities remains in the country.
He explained that the troops assigned to the Lake Chad mission were deployed on a temporary basis and were expected to leave once the operation had been completed.
Uba stressed that the security partnership between Nigeria and the United States remains unchanged, with intelligence sharing and other forms of military cooperation continuing as before.
He added that additional personnel and resources could be deployed in the future whenever operational requirements make such deployments necessary.
The clarification followed reports quoting the Commander of US Air Forces in Africa, Dagvin R. M. Anderson, as saying that the United States had withdrawn most of the forces assigned to the Lake Chad Basin operation after the mission was successfully concluded.
According to the report, Anderson said the operation helped disrupt the activities of ISIS in the region, including the elimination of a senior leader responsible for the group’s global operations, media and recruitment.
He also reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to supporting Nigeria through intelligence sharing and other forms of security cooperation at the request of the Nigerian government, describing Nigeria as a key regional partner with a capable military.
Anderson noted that continued intelligence collaboration between both countries has yielded significant progress in ongoing efforts to combat ISIS and other terrorist groups operating in the region.
