The United States has withdrawn most of the military personnel deployed to Nigeria for a joint counterterrorism operation in the Lake Chad Basin, while reaffirming its commitment to continued intelligence sharing and other security assistance for Abuja.
The Commander of US Air Forces in Europe–Air Forces Africa, General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, disclosed this on Thursday during a virtual press briefing on the outcome of the African Chiefs of Defence Conference 2026.
According to Anderson, the Lake Chad Basin operation has concluded, prompting the withdrawal of most American troops assigned to the mission. He, however, said the US would continue supporting Nigeria through intelligence cooperation and other assistance requested by the Nigerian government.
“That operation in the Lake Chad Basin of Nigeria not only helped the countries in that immediate region; it also helped countries globally as that disrupted the ISIS network.
“We have withdrawn much of our forces that were just there for that operation, but are continuing the partnership that Nigeria has asked for to help continue with the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,” he said.
Describing Nigeria as a strategic partner with a capable military, Anderson said cooperation between both countries had delivered significant gains in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS/Daesh).
He explained that US intelligence support, combined with Nigerian military operations, contributed to a successful mission targeting the second-in-command of the global ISIS network.
“Nigeria is a very capable and large country. It’s got a strong economy, a large, educated population and a very capable military.
“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. That eventually led to a cooperative effort where we brought unique U.S. capabilities to prosecute the number two leader within the ISIS or Daesh organisation, who was responsible for much of their global operations, global media and recruiting,” Anderson said.
He noted that the operation demonstrated the effectiveness of intelligence collaboration over prolonged foreign troop deployments.
“As we go forward, that is an example of how we’re looking at engaging with partners to help them be more effective by only bringing unique U.S. capabilities that allow the partner to be effective in these fights,” he added.
Anderson also urged African countries to strengthen intelligence cooperation to combat terrorism, illicit trafficking and other transnational crimes.
Highlighting the benefits of international collaboration, he revealed that intelligence-sharing among partner nations recently led to the interception of a record 31-tonne cocaine shipment originating from South America and transiting through 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. Eventually, it was a Spanish ship that interdicted the vessel carrying 31 tonnes of cocaine, which turned out to be the largest drug seizure at sea that we’ve ever seen,” he said.
He stressed that sustained cooperation among African nations, international partners and the private sector remains essential to tackling security threats while promoting economic stability and attracting investment across the continent.
The United States deployed about 200 military personnel to Nigeria in February 2026 to support intelligence, surveillance and counterterrorism operations in the Lake Chad Basin as part of expanded security cooperation between Washington and Abuja against ISIS and other terrorist groups.
The deployment followed President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and his administration’s commitment to strengthening US support for Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts.
