US pulls troops from Nigeria but keeps intelligence cooperation

The Commander of US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson, announced on Thursday that Washington has withdrawn the majority of military personnel deployed to Nigeria earlier this year for a joint counterterrorism operation in the Lake Chad Basin, though intelligence sharing and broader security cooperation with Abuja will continue.

Speaking at a virtual briefing following the 2026 African Chiefs of Defense Conference, Anderson stated the operation achieved its immediate objectives. He described Nigeria as a capable security partner with a strong military, noting the cooperation had delivered significant gains against ISIS. "We have withdrawn much of our forces that were just there for that operation, but are continuing the partnership that Nigeria has asked for to help continue with the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.

Lake Chad operation

Anderson noted the mission disrupted the ISIS terror network globally, not just in the immediate region. "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," he said. Intelligence provided by Washington combined with Nigerian military operations contributed to the successful targeting of the second-in-command of the global ISIS network, according to the general.

The US deployed approximately 200 military personnel to Nigeria in February to support intelligence, surveillance and counterterrorism operations. 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.