The United States has withdrawn most of its military personnel deployed to Nigeria following the completion of a joint counterterrorism operation in the Lake Chad Basin, while maintaining ongoing intelligence cooperation with Nigerian authorities.
Commander of US Air Forces in Africa, General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, disclosed this during a virtual press briefing on the outcome of the African Chiefs of Defence Conference 2026. He said that although the troop deployment has largely ended, collaboration between Washington and Abuja remains active, particularly in intelligence-sharing efforts targeting the Islamic State (ISIS/Daesh).
According to Anderson, the mission that necessitated the deployment of US forces has been successfully concluded, leading to the withdrawal of the majority of troops. However, he noted that the United States would continue to provide intelligence support at Nigeria’s request.
“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,” Anderson said.
“And so — and then we have withdrawn much of our forces that were just there for that operation, but are continuing the partnership that Nigeria has asked for to help continue with the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,” he added.
The US Air Force commander described Nigeria as a strategic regional partner with a capable military, noting that cooperation between both countries has yielded significant results in the fight against ISIS.
He attributed recent successes to strong intelligence collaboration, which he said enabled a joint operation that eliminated the second-highest-ranking figure in the global ISIS 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,” he said.
Anderson said the development highlights a shift towards intelligence-driven partnerships rather than prolonged foreign troop presence.
“So I think 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 said.
He also called for stronger intelligence collaboration among African countries to combat terrorism, drug trafficking, and other transnational crimes.
Citing a recent multinational effort, Anderson revealed that intelligence coordination led to the interception of a record 31-ton shipment of cocaine 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. 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,” he said.
He stressed that sustained cooperation among African governments, international partners, and the private sector remains crucial to tackling security challenges, while also supporting economic growth and attracting investment across the continent.
The United States had deployed about 200 military personnel to Nigeria in February 2026 to support intelligence, surveillance, and counterterrorism operations in the Lake Chad Basin, as both countries intensified efforts against ISIS and other extremist groups.
The deployment followed the redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern by US President Donald Trump, alongside a pledge to strengthen counterterrorism support.
On December 25, 2025, US forces conducted airstrikes on two terrorist camps in the Bauni Forest in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The security partnership reached a significant milestone in May 2026 when a joint US-Nigerian operation killed Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS, during a raid on his hideout in Borno State.