The United States has ended boots-on-the-ground operations in Nigeria’s Lake Chad Basin, withdrawing most of the 200 troops it deployed in February 2026 for a joint counterterrorism mission. Washington says the fight is not over — it’s just gone digital.
—“Operation Over, Partnership Remains” – US Air Force Chief—
General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, Commander of US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa, confirmed the pullout Thursday during a digital briefing on the African Chiefs of Defence Conference 2026.
“And so we have withdrawn much of our forces that were just there for that operation, but are continuing the partnership that Nigeria has asked for to help continue with the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,” Anderson said.
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The specific Lake Chad mission has ended, he added, but US-Nigeria intelligence cooperation will continue “at the request of the Nigerian government.”
—The Big Win: ISIS No. 2 Taken Out in Borno–
Anderson credited the intelligence partnership for a high-profile kill: the May 2026 joint US-Nigerian operation that eliminated Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS, at his hideout in Borno State.
“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 organisation,” Anderson said.
He described Al-Minuki as “responsible for much of their global operations, their global media, and their recruiting.”
—“Nigeria is a Capable Partner”—
The US general praised Nigeria’s military capacity, saying the results showed the value of intelligence cooperation over long-term foreign deployments.
“I think the partnership that we’ve shown recently with Nigeria… 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,” he said.
—From Terror to Cocaine: Intelligence Net Widens—
Anderson also revealed that US-Nigeria intelligence sharing helped intercept a record 31-ton cocaine shipment off the West African coast.
“I was able to coordinate through our interagency… 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 called for stronger intelligence sharing among African states to tackle terrorism, trafficking and other transnational crimes.
—How We Got Here: From 200 Troops to Air Strikes—
The US deployed about 200 military personnel to Nigeria in February 2026 for intelligence, surveillance and counterterrorism support in the Lake Chad Basin. The move came after President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and vowed tougher action against terrorist groups.
Before the ground deployment, US forces carried out air strikes on Dec. 25, 2025 against two terrorist enclaves in Bauni Forest, Tangaza LGA, Sokoto State.
—What It Means—
The US exit signals a shift in strategy: fewer American boots, more Nigerian-led operations, backed by US intelligence, surveillance and targeting support.
“As that disrupts the ISIS network,” Anderson said, “it helps countries globally.”
For Nigeria, the challenge now is to sustain the gains without a permanent US troop presence in the Basin.
The Bottom Line: America is out of the Lake Chad trenches, but it is not out of Nigeria’s war on terror. The battlefield has moved from boots to bytes.
