(RepublicanJournal.org) – The US military is shutting down a mission in Africa. Niger’s pro-Russia military government, which seized power last year, has ordered American troops to leave the country. A withdrawal agreement was signed in May, and now the first troops are leaving.
Since 2013, the US military has had troops deployed in Niger, a landlocked country in West Africa. US forces were there to help the country fight Islamic State and al Qaeda terrorists who were behind a long-running insurgency in the area. However, last July, the government was overthrown by rogue army officers who are now running the country as a dictatorship.
The military junta has brought in mercenaries from the Russian Wagner Group, and expelled French troops and the local UN chief. It also ordered US forces to leave the country. In April, with Russian military advisers starting to arrive, the US signed an agreement to pull out our troops.
The first step in that withdrawal came on July 8, when Air Base 101 — located near the capital, Niamey — officially closed down. The closure was marked by a joint ceremony involving US and Nigerien troops. USAF Major General Kenneth Ekman thanked the Nigeriens for the “safe, orderly and responsible” withdrawal. The other US facility, Air Base 201 near Agadez, will close on September 15.
Niger is the third country in the region to fall to a Russian-backed military coup along with Mali and Burkina Faso. While Russia is also involved in fighting terrorism, the replacement of US forces with lower-grade Russian troops and mercenaries is likely to mean the fight against Islamic State and al Qaeda won’t be carried out as successfully. That risks giving the terrorists safe areas to start regrowing their strength — and if they succeed, US citizens and interests in the area will be in more danger.
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