DAKAR: The United States handed over its last army base in Niger — one of two key hubs for American counterterrorism operations in the African country — to local officials, the US Department of Defense and Niger’s Ministry of Defense said in a joint statement on Monday.
The handing over of Airbase 201 in Agadez came following the US forces withdrew earlier this month from Airbase 101, a small drone military base in Niamey. US forces have until September 15 to leave the Sahel nation after an agreement with Nigerien officials.
There are two dozen American troops who remain in Niger, largely for administrative jobs related to the withdrawal, Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon spokeswoman said.
In March, Niger’s ruling junta had ended a deal that permitted US forces to operate in the West African nation. A few months later, authorities of the two nations announced in a joint statement that American troops would complete their withdrawal by the mid of September.
