US to pull additional combat troops from Nigeria

The Pentagon is set to withdraw nearly 200 U.S. troops from Nigeria, following their deployment to the central African country earlier this year.

The New York Times first reported on the troop drawdown, citing U.S. officials. It’s the second time in two months that the U.S. has pulled some combat forces deployed to the country as part of a surge of American military power. 

Since late winter, more than 100 American troops have been deployed to the country on a training and advisory mission. The U.S. surged in combat forces who directly fought Islamic State militants in the large country soon after. Following successful operations in the late spring and early summer, U.S. Africa Command said it would pull most of its combat forces from the country. It is not clear what kept troop levels on a similar scale since early July. 

“The Nigeria-U.S. partnership is ongoing and remains strong, focused on disrupting and eliminating shared security threats. The successful joint operations with Nigeria dealt severe damage to the ISIS network, disrupting its global operations,” an AFRICOM spokesperson said in a statement to Task & Purpose. “At the invitation of the Government of Nigeria, we continue to have forces in Nigeria addressing shared security threats. The number of personnel will fluctuate as required to meet mission requirements.”

However, militants continue to cause chaos inside the country. As the New York Times noted, gunmen have continued to attack civilians and military sites in the country’s north, despite counter-terror operations.

Last fall, the Trump administration began threatening military action in the country, accusing the government of allowing violence against the country’s Christians. The government pushed back on the sectarian narrative, saying people were being attacked regardless of religion, but acknowledged ongoing violence. On Christmas, the U.S. Navy launched missiles into Nigeria’s northwestern Sokoto state, targeting militants. Two months later, the U.S. said it was sending more than 100 troops to support Nigeria’s armed forces in counter-terrorism training. Combat forces, including members of SEAL Team 6, later deployed in the spring, conducting operations against the Islamic State around the Lake Chad region. In May, that culminated in a series of attacks on ISIS positions there, killing Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the group’s second in command. 

In early July, that mission complete, AFRICOM head Gen. Dagvin Anderson said that most of the service members deployed for that mission had withdrawn. 

American troops who are remaining in the country are assigned to train Nigerian forces, as well as carry out intelligence sharing.  

The more-detailed training mission has focused on helping Nigerian troops prepare for modern combat. Members of the Army’s 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173rd Mobile Brigade Combat Team were in Nigeria’s northeast this spring, training Nigerian troops on a variety of topics including casualty care, explosive ordnance disposal, small-unit tactics and drones, according to recently released details from U.S. Africa Command.

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