US to pull troops from Chad and Niger as the African nations question its counterterrorism role

By TARA COPP
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two U.S. officials say the United States will pull the majority of its troops from Chad and Niger as it works to restore key agreements governing what role there might be for the American military and its counterterrorism operations. One U.S. official said Thursday that the U.S. will relocate most of the approximately 100 forces it has deployed in Chad for now. A second official says the majority of the 1,000 U.S. personnel assigned in Niger also are expected to depart. Agreements in both countries allowed the U.S. to conduct critical counterterrorism operations and have supported military partner training. Now, there’s concern that U.S. influence in Africa is losing ground to overtures from Russia and China.