The United States has withdrawn the majority of its military personnel deployed to Nigeria following the successful conclusion of a joint counterterrorism operation in the Lake Chad Basin, U.S. officials have confirmed.
The withdrawal marks the end of the specific mission, which focused on disrupting terrorist networks linked to the Islamic State operating across the Lake Chad region.
Despite the drawdown, U.S. authorities stressed that the move does not signal an end to security cooperation with Nigeria. Instead, Washington said it will continue to support Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts through intelligence sharing, military training, and other forms of security assistance at the request of the Nigerian government.
According to U.S. officials, the recently concluded operation significantly disrupted ISIS-linked networks in the region, with future collaboration expected to rely more on intelligence partnerships and capacity-building rather than a sustained deployment of U.S. troops on Nigerian soil.
The officials emphasised that while most American military personnel have departed Nigeria, bilateral security ties remain intact, with both countries expected to continue working together to combat terrorism and violent extremism.
The Lake Chad Basin, which spans parts of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, has remained a hotspot for insurgent activities by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters for more than a decade.
The insurgency has claimed thousands of lives, displaced millions of people, and prompted sustained military cooperation between regional governments and international partners, including the United States.
The latest troop withdrawal reflects a shift in the U.S. approach from maintaining a sizeable military presence to providing intelligence-driven and advisory support aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to address evolving security threats.
