Nigeria confirmed Tuesday it will withdraw roughly 200 US troops deployed earlier this year to support its fight against a sprawling security crisis.
The soldiers arrived in February after tensions flared between Abuja and Washington over accusations that Nigeria was failing to stop violence against Christians.
Nigerian officials said the American forces provided training and intelligence support, and joined a joint raid that killed a senior Islamic State commander.
Military spokesperson Samaila Uba described the U.S.-Nigeria relationship as strong and enduring, insisting the deployment always had narrow, specific counterterrorism goals.
He said the pullout marks a natural phase of the partnership, with select cooperation set to continue quietly behind the scenes.
Nigeria remains gripped by violence, as militant insurgents and criminal gangs strike communities from the north to the south.
The unrest has deepened under President Bola Tinubu, spreading into regions once considered relatively secure.
Analysts say Washington’s involvement, and Donald Trump’s public statements, have done little to calm the bloodshed on the ground.
