The United States and Niger issued a joint statement on Sunday, setting a Sept. 15 deadline for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops. US troops will leave behind a $100 million military base built to support counterterrorism operations in the Sahel region.
The disposition of the 201st Air Force Base in Niger’s city of Agadez remained unclear in the joint statement, leaving hope that the United States and Niger may be able to address “issues of mutual interest” in the future.
On a conference call with reporters Sunday afternoon, a senior Pentagon official said Said The departing American troops were armed with “classified equipment, lethal equipment, [and] Keep “hazardous equipment” together.
“Much of what we expect to be left with is either immobile or would cost the United States far more to remove than it is actually worth,” the official said.
However, he said his top priority is “to ensure that this withdrawal occurs in the most collegial and cooperative manner possible” and that the U.S. military will continue to operate from Niger in some capacity in the future. He added that he is hopeful that it could be expanded. You may end up with a significant amount of equipment left over.
It’s too early to say exactly what to take out. Obviously, the goal is to ingest as much as possible [and] Protects U.S. taxpayer investments, but has critical infrastructure, including the air base in Agadez. [and] The air base in Niamey, or any part of it, is clearly not portable for us.
Later in the call, the official said the Biden administration is asking questions about how many Russian soldiers are in Niger, where they are located, and how many military bases are being built at U.S. taxpayer expense. He admitted that he had no knowledge of whether access was permitted.
“I don’t think this is a situation where the responsibility for counter-terrorism is handed over to Wagner or Russian-type organizations, as we have seen in other countries. First of all, the Niger military is not capable of doing so. I think it’s too expensive,” he said, referring to the Russian mercenary force that sent about 100 people to Niger in the war. request Of the military government.
Another senior U.S. defense official said, “Nigerians have been instrumental in many things, including the continued protection of U.S. forces.” Said on monday. “We have had a long-standing relationship with them for more than 10 years, and working with them through these discussions has proven that the relationship is very strong.”
These optimistic comments have been difficult to reconcile with public pronouncements from Nigerian officials over the past few weeks. Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Ramin Zain said in an interview on May 14: slammed Biden administration officials’ “condescending tone and lack of respect” during negotiations to keep U.S. troops stationed in Niger.
Niger Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Ramin Zein (Ismail Kaplan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, in a joint statement on Sunday, was praised Regarding the “joint sacrifices of Niger’s and U.S. forces in the fight against terrorism,” Zain said that the U.S. forces in Niger are not doing enough to protect the country from terrorists, and that the Biden administration is likely to He said this appears to be because he disapproved of the coup that brought him to power. He is angry at the military regime for allegedly making deals with Iran and Russia.
Bill Roggio, Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) Long War Journal Editor; Said Voice of America News (VOA) reported that the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Niger has thrown counterterrorism operations into “total chaos” and intelligence gathering has been reduced to “virtually zero.”
“These are some of the most dangerous regions in the world. These countries are under terrible threat of being overrun by jihadist groups,” Roggio said of the Sahel region.
A U.S. defense official told VOA that “basically all flights” from the two bases occupied by the U.S. military will require approval from the junta, and that starting in April, the junta will “delay” U.S. military flights. and cancellation.”
A man holds a placard demanding that US soldiers leave Niger without negotiations during a demonstration in Niamey on April 13, 2024. (AFP via Getty Images)
Negotiations between U.S. and Nigerian military officials last week apparently hit a snag as they were originally scheduled to end on Thursday but continued until Friday. A defense official on Sunday’s conference call said Nigerians are “very protective of their ability to interact with other countries,” as they respond to U.S. investigations into their dealings with Russians and Iranians. This suggests that there was no such thing.
