Pentagon announces completion of US troop withdrawal from Niger

There's been another U.S. troop withdrawal from a foreign country under President Joe Biden's watch, and fortunately this time, no U.S. troops lost their lives.

However, other complications could arise as a result of the withdrawal.

According to Newsmax, a troop withdrawal from the West African country of Niger has been all but completed, with only a handful of U.S. troops remaining at the embassy in the country.

The news came in the wake of an announcement earlier this year that the country's ruling junta ended an agreement that had U.S. troops in the country.

Both Niger and the U.S. announced that a withdrawal would be completed by mid-September, with Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh revealing that some U.S. military personnel would remain to guard the embassy.

The US withdrawal from Niger was carried out in phases, with US forces and assets withdrawing from Air Force Base 101 in Niamey on 7 July and Air Force Base 201 in Agadez on 5 August. 👇 pic.twitter.com/nt6ffl07du

— Djole 🇷🇸 (@onlydjole) September 19, 2024

Newsmax noted:

The U.S. handed over its last military bases in Niger to local authorities last month, but about two dozen American soldiers had remained in Niger, largely for administrative duties related to the withdrawal, Singh said.

While the withdrawal has not resulted in the loss of life or anything close to the Afghanistan withdrawal disaster, the move does bring its share of complications for U.S. counterterrorism efforts.

Newsmax explained:

Niger’s ouster of American troops following a coup last year has broad ramifications for Washington because it's forcing troops to abandon critical bases that were used for counterterrorism missions in the Sahel. groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group operate in the vast region south of the Sahara desert.

Several of those groups are looking to expand their presence and will undoubtedly do so in the wake of the withdrawal, as the U.S. and several European allies had roughly 2,500 troops in place, with hundreds of millions in military assistance poured into the area.

Without that presence, terrorist groups will likely seize the opportunity to expand operations, which, of course, could result in major consequences down the road.

It was also noted that Niger, in recent months, has pulled back from working with Western countries for assistance and instead has sought security assistance from Russia.

Russian military specialists have already arrived in the country to bolster the nation's air defenses.

Only time will tell if the country falls back into another African haven for the bad guys.