The United States has pulled out most of the roughly 200 troops deployed to Nigeria earlier this year for a joint operation against Islamic State militants in the Lake Chad Basin. The mission, launched with Nigerian forces, resulted in the killing of senior IS commander Abu-Bilal al-Minuki and disrupted the group’s leadership structure, according to US officials. While most American personnel have departed, both countries said intelligence sharing and broader security cooperation will continue. Nigerian military leaders insisted the withdrawal will not weaken ongoing operations against extremist groups, which continue to carry out attacks in the country’s northeast. The deployment followed US accusations that Nigeria wasn’t adequately protecting Christian communities from militant violence, a claim Abuja has rejected as an oversimplification, noting that most jihadist victims are actually Muslims living in the country’s north.
BBC