The United States has withdrawn the majority of its forces from a joint counterterrorism operation in Nigeria’s Lake Chad Basin but will maintain a robust intelligence-sharing partnership with the West African nation, a top American military commander confirmed.
General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, Commander of US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, disclosed the drawdown during a digital press briefing following the African Chiefs of Defence Conference 2026.
General Anderson explained that while the specific military mission in the region has concluded—prompting the departure of most deployed US personnel—Washington remains deeply committed to supporting Nigeria through targeted security collaboration at the explicit request of the Nigerian government.
“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 stated. “And so we have withdrawn much of our forces that were just there for that operation, but are continuing the partnership that Nigeria has asked for to help continue with the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.”
Lauding Nigeria as a “very capable partner” with a strong economy and a formidable military, Anderson highlighted the tangible success of the bilateral alliance. He revealed that the integration of US intelligence capabilities with Nigerian military execution recently led to a major breakthrough: the elimination of the global network’s second-in-command.
According to the General, the targeted individual was a high-ranking leader within ISIS (Daesh) responsible for overseeing much of the group’s global operations, recruitment, and media strategy.
“There are things that we have learned in the counterterrorist fight over several years that we were able to assist and integrate with them,” Anderson said, noting that combining unique US capabilities with Nigerian forces allowed them to successfully prosecute the high-value target.
The transition away from boots-on-the-ground deployments toward strategic intelligence integration signals a shift in how Washington views long-term African security engagements. Anderson emphasized that the success of the recent operation proves that highly coordinated intelligence sharing, rather than enduring foreign military footprints, is the most effective blueprint for modern counterterrorism.
Looking ahead, the US general urged African nations to strengthen their own cross-border intelligence networks, calling for greater regional cooperation to combat the interconnected threats of terrorism, illicit trafficking, and transnational crime.
