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The U.S. military turned over control of its last base in Niger to local forces on Monday, ending a yearslong counterterrorism mission in the West African country even as violent extremism remains on the rise in the region.
A group of U.S. troops boarded an Air Force cargo plane and flew out of a $110 million air base in central Niger that was built with Pentagon money, among the last of 1,000 personnel that Washington had agreed to pull out by Sept. 15. A small number of troops will remain at the United States Embassy for a short time to wrap up administrative details, officials said.
āThe withdrawal of U.S. forces and assets from Air Base 201 in Agadez is complete,ā the Pentagonās Africa Command said in a statement, referring to the installation in central Niger.