The United States has withdrawn most of the military personnel it sent to Nigeria for a joint operation that killed the Islamic State’s global deputy leader, according to the head of US Africa Command (AFRICOM). General Dagvin Anderson told a press briefing in Luanda on Thursday that the forces deployed specifically for the Lake Chad Basin mission had now left, but that Washington would continue to provide intelligence support at Nigeria’s request. Nigerian defence officials subsequently clarified that the withdrawal applied only to the additional troops brought in for that operation, and that a separate contingent of around 200 US personnel remains in the country for joint intelligence and training tasks.

Viewed from Washington, the operation is presented as a model for future security partnerships on the continent. General Anderson described the May mission — which eliminated Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described by both governments as the second-highest-ranking figure in ISIS globally — as evidence of an approach that supplies specialised American capabilities while African partners lead combat operations. He said the strike had “significantly degraded” the group’s leadership and disrupted its international communications network, with effects extending beyond West Africa. The US commander added that Nigerian military pressure, combined with publicity around the operation, had prompted further defections and surrenders among ISIS fighters in the northeast.

Nigerian military spokesmen have stressed that the departure of the US troops will not affect operational momentum. Defence Headquarters spokesman Major General Samaila Uba said the initial US personnel deployed before the Lake Chad mission were still in place, and that the bilateral partnership remained unchanged. A separate military spokesperson, Major General Michael Onoja, told the BBC that intelligence-sharing would continue. Nigerian authorities have consistently rejected a narrative, advanced by President Donald Trump when he ordered a Christmas Day strike that preceded the deployment, that Islamist militants are specifically targeting Christians. Abuja maintains that the violence is complex and affects all communities, a view supported by conflict monitors who note that most victims of jihadist groups in the predominantly Muslim north are themselves Muslims.

The withdrawal leaves in place a framework of intelligence cooperation and advisory support, but no large-scale US combat presence. The three-day African Chiefs of Defence Conference in Angola, where the announcement was made, brought together military leaders from 35 African nations and focused on intelligence-sharing, counterterrorism, and the link between security and economic development. While the US has not announced any further combat deployments, Nigerian forces continue to prosecute targets in the northeast, and both sides have indicated that the partnership will adapt to operational needs as they arise.