The United States has withdrawn most of its military personnel deployed to Nigeria for a joint counterterrorism operation in the Lake Chad Basin, according to a senior US general. General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, Commander of US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, disclosed the withdrawal during a press briefing following the African Chiefs of Defence Conference 2026.
Background of US deployment in Nigeria
In February, the United States deployed approximately 200 military personnel to Nigeria to support intelligence, surveillance, and counterterrorism operations in the Lake Chad Basin. The mission aimed to combat ISIS and other terrorist groups operating in the region. The partnership resulted in the killing of Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS, at his hideout in Borno State.
Operation concluded and forces withdrawn
General Anderson explained that the military operation had ended, and most US personnel involved had returned to Washington DC. He stated, “And so that operation in the Lake Chad Basin of Nigeria not only helped the countries in that immediate region; it also helps countries globally as that disrupts the ISIS network. And then we have withdrawn much of our forces that were just there for that operation, but are continuing the partnership that Nigeria has asked for to help continue with the intelligence sharing and the understanding that’s necessary to be able to prosecute these difficult tasks.”
US-Nigeria intelligence cooperation
The US general described Nigeria as a capable partner with a strong military and emphasized that cooperation between both countries had yielded significant results against ISIS. He noted that US intelligence support, combined with Nigerian military efforts, led to the successful operation against the second-in-command of the ISIS global network. “I think the partnership that we’ve shown recently with Nigeria, where Nigeria’s a very capable and large country — it’s got a strong economy; it’s got a large, educated population; it’s got a very capable military. But there are things that we have learned in the counterterrorist fight over several years that we were able to assist and integrate with them to help them with their intelligence and help with the intelligence sharing that eventually led to a cooperative effort to where we were able to bring some unique capabilities that the U.S. brings and be able to prosecute together the number two leader within the ISIS or Daesh organization who is responsible for much of their global operations, their global media, and their recruiting,” Anderson said.
Broader implications for regional security
General Anderson also advocated for stronger intelligence sharing among African countries to combat terrorism, illicit trafficking, and other transnational crimes. He highlighted that effective communication and established partnerships recently contributed to the interception of a record 31-ton cocaine shipment originating from South America and transiting along the West African coast. “I was able to coordinate through our interagency in the United States, through AFRICOM, and then notify some of the partners. And eventually it was a Spanish ship that interdicted the ship that had 31 tons of cocaine on it, and it turns out is the largest interdiction of drugs at sea that we’ve ever seen,” Anderson said.
