Africom commander announces partial withdrawal of US troops from Nigeria

The commander of US Africa Command (Africom) has announced that much of the American force deployed in Nigeria has been withdrawn. The commander said: "We have withdrawn much of our forces that were just there for that operation."

The statement points to questions about the US military presence in West Africa and security cooperation in the region. Nigeria has long grappled with security challenges posed by armed groups and works with external partners at various levels.

How the partial withdrawal affects security operations in the region and the military relationship between the US and Nigeria is not yet clear. The size of the remaining force and the scope of future cooperation are among the issues expected to become clearer in the period ahead.