By Paul Joseph
The United States has declared significant gains in its counterterrorism campaign against Islamist militants in Nigeria and is set to withdraw about 200 troops deployed to support the operation.
According to reports, the Pentagon plans to pull the troops out of Nigeria by the end of September, bringing to a close the larger American military deployment that supported Nigerian forces in counterterrorism operations.
The troops were deployed earlier this year to assist Nigeria through intelligence sharing, training and other forms of counterterrorism support.
Although the deployment involved a relatively small number of personnel, American and Nigerian officials were quoted as saying that it produced notable results, particularly in intelligence gathering and joint counterterrorism efforts.
The planned withdrawal, however, is not expected to mark the end of military cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.
Small teams of American military trainers and intelligence analysts are expected to remain in the country to continue supporting Nigerian security agencies after the larger troop contingent leaves.
American officials reportedly view the operation as a possible model for future counterterrorism missions across Africa, relying on smaller troop deployments, intelligence cooperation and support for local security forces.
The decision follows a May operation in the Lake Chad Basin that reportedly killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, identified as the second-in-command of ISIS.
Last month, the Commander of the United States Africa Command, AFRICOM, Dagvin Anderson, said Washington had already begun reducing the number of troops deployed to Nigeria following the operation.
Anderson said the military operation had significantly weakened ISIS’ leadership structure in Nigeria and beyond, while noting that Nigerian authorities had continued to intensify efforts against terrorist groups.
He also maintained that the United States would sustain its intelligence-sharing partnership with Nigeria despite the reduction in the number of American personnel in the country.
The development comes amid continued security cooperation between Abuja and Washington, including engagements on counterterrorism and the protection of vulnerable communities.
It also follows the second round of discussions held in Washington between Nigeria and the United States under a joint working group focused on the protection of Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
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