Were warning signs ignored? Things to know about this week's testimony on the Titan sub disaster
11-year-old boy dies after subway surfing in NYC
Secret Service report details communication failures preceding July assassination attempt on Trump
A rare polar bear showed up on the shores of Iceland. Police shot it
Italy targets primary budget balance in 2024, economy minister says
Heavy metal exposure could increase cardiovascular disease risk, study finds
New York magazine says its star political reporter is on leave after a relationship was disclosed
Why Kelly Clarkson chooses a 'safe' interviewing approach. Her talk show kicks off its sixth season
On the trail of the mystery woman whose company licensed exploding pagers
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The U.S. handed over its last military base in Niger — one of two crucial hubs for American counterterrorism operations in the country — to local authorities, the U.S. Department of Defense and Niger’s Ministry of Defense announced in a joint statement on Monday.
The handing over of Airbase 201 in the city of Agadez came after the U.S. troops withdrew earlier this month from Airbase 101, a small drone base in Niger’s capital of Niamey.
U.S. troops have until Sept. 15 to leave the Sahel country following an agreement with Nigerien authorities.
There are about two dozen American soldiers who remain in Niger, largely for administrative duties related to the withdrawal, according to Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon spokeswoman. They are located at the U.S. embassy.
In March, Niger’s ruling junta ended an agreement that allowed U.S. troops to operate in the West African country. A few months later, officials of the two countries announced in a joint statement that U.S. troops would complete their withdrawal by the middle of September.
Niger had been seen as one of the last nations in the restive region that Western nations could partner with to beat back growing jihadi insurgencies. The U.S. and France had more than 2,500 military personnel in the region until recently, and together with other European countries had invested hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance and training.
In recent months Niger has pulled away from its Western partners, turning instead to Russia for security. In April, Russian military trainers arrived in Niger to reinforce the country’s air defenses.
Niger’s ouster of American troops following a coup last year has broad ramifications for the U.S. because it is forcing troops to abandon the critical base that was used for counterterrorism missions in the Sahel, a vast region south of the Sahara desert where groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group operate
One of those groups, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, known as JNIM, is active in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and is looking to expand into Benin and Togo.
-------—
Associated Press reporter Lolita Baldor contributed from Washington.
