The Pentagon said Monday that it is not abandoning the counterterrorism mission in West Africa even as it begins negotiations to withdraw the U.S. military presence in Niger and questions are arising over military operations in neighboring Chad.
The potential military withdrawal from Niger comes more than a month after the military junta ruling the country made the demand, after it came to power in July through a coup. A U.S. official told The Associated Press on Saturday that there is no timeline for the withdrawal from Niger, which hosts American bases and has played a key role in the U.S. effort to combat a proliferation of terrorist groups in Africa.
“There is a significant counterterrorism consideration here throughout Western Africa and something that we continue to work very hard on,” Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Monday. “We'll also continue to explore options and how we can ensure that we're able to continue to address potential terrorist threats.”
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Discussions have begun between an American delegation and Niger about an “orderly withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country,” according to Ryder.
The U.S. military has two bases in the country that have been used in counterterrorism operations against organizations such as the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, the Islamic State in the…
