U.S. Media: Pentagon Plans to Withdraw About 200 U.S. Troops from Nigeria

On August 27, Xinhua News Agency reported from Washington (reporters Huang Qiang and Xu Jianmei) that the Pentagon is preparing to withdraw about 200 U.S. soldiers from Nigeria by late September.

This group of U.S. troops was deployed to Nigeria in February of this year. The report cites U.S. officials as saying that after the main forces withdraw, a small number of U.S. military instructors and intelligence analysts are expected to remain in Nigeria.

U.S. and Nigerian officials stated that the scale of the deployed U.S. military is not large, yet it has "achieved results that are particularly significant compared to its size," including the killing of a senior leader of the extremist group "Islamic State." However, the report points out that this operation "seems to have limited effectiveness," as militants continue to launch significant attacks across Nigeria.

According to Nigerian media reports, there have been several large-scale attacks in Nigeria since August. On the 10th, a firefight occurred between security personnel and militants in Kebbi State in northwestern Nigeria, resulting in the deaths of 10 police officers and 2 civilians, with another 17 militants killed on the spot. From midnight on the 17th to the morning of the 18th, a group of militants conducted house-to-house attacks in a community in Plateau State, resulting in about 30 deaths, with some individuals reported missing. On the 21st, an attack occurred in Niger State in central Nigeria, where dozens of local residents were kidnapped.