US withdraws troops from Nigeria, but retains intelligence cooperation

The announcement was made on Thursday by the Commander of US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson at a virtual briefing following the 2026 African Chiefs of Defense Conference.

Anderson said the operation achieved its immediate objectives and that the majority of US troops assigned to the mission had departed Nigeria, emphasizing that they remain committed to supporting Nigeria’s fight against terrorism through intelligence collaboration.

“We have withdrawn much of our forces that were just there for that operation, but are continuing the partnership that Nigeria has asked for to help continue with the intelligence sharing and the understanding that’s necessary to be able to prosecute these difficult tasks,” he said.

“And so that operation in the Lake Chad Basin of Nigeria not only helped the countries in that immediate region; it also helped countries globally as that disrupted the ISIS network,” Anderson said.

The US general described Nigeria as a capable security partner with a strong military, saying cooperation between both countries had delivered significant gains against the ISIS terror group.

“I think the partnership that we’ve shown recently with Nigeria, where Nigeria’s a very capable and large country. It’s got a strong economy; it’s got a large, educated population; it’s got a very capable military.”

According to Anderson, intelligence provided by the US, combined with Nigerian military operations, contributed to the successful targeting of the second-in-command of the global ISIS network.

“So I think as we go forward, that is an example of how we’re looking at engaging with partners to help them be more effective by only bringing unique US capabilities that allow the partner to be effective in these fights,” he said.

He also called for stronger intelligence sharing among African countries to tackle terrorism, illicit trafficking and other transnational security threats.

The US deployed about 200 military personnel to Nigeria in February to support intelligence, surveillance and counterterrorism operations in the Lake Chad Basin, where armed groups linked to the ISWAP and Boko Haram terror groups continue to stage attacks despite sustained military offensives.

The deployment reflected growing security cooperation amid efforts to contain extremist violence across the Lake Chad region, which spans Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Nigeria has battled insurgency in its northeast since 2009, with the conflict killing tens of thousands of people and displacing millions, according to humanitarian agencies.​​​​​​​