The Pentagon has confirmed that American troops stationed in Chad will partially withdraw from the country after the Chadian Minister of Defense challenged the justification of their presence.
The Withdrawal
Defense officials have told Reuters and the NYT that 75 Green Berets from the 20th Special Forces Group will withdraw from Chad, which comes after the country’s Defense Minister sent a letter to the American defense attaché earlier this month questioning the justification for American forces in the country and ordering operations at the Adji Kossei Air Base to stop.
American forces in Chad have worked alongside local security forces as advisers for counter terrorism operations.
In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder state that “This is a temporary step as part of the ongoing review of our security cooperation, which will resume after Chad’s May 6th presidential election.”
US Troops Out of Niger
The development comes as the Pentagon confirmed earlier this week that discussions have begun “for the orderly withdrawal of U.S. forces from the [Niger]” after the Junta announced last month that it had severed military cooperation with the United States and ordered the removal of American forces stationed in the country, who are largely located at the Air Base 201 near Agadez, which has been a hub for counter-terrorism drone operations in the Sahel.
Since taking power during a coup in July 2023, the junta has ended military cooperation with France (and now the US) as junta officials continue to seek greater military and economic cooperation from Russia.
The So What
The withdrawals coincide with regional shifts in military and diplomatic relations from Western powers to Russia, who continue to cement their presence and influence in the Sahel. The United States and France have warned that the withdrawal of its forces puts regional counter terrorism operations at risk, which comes as the Sahel continues to be the largest hotbed in the world for jihadist activity.
