WASHINGTON: Days after the US agreed to withdraw its forces from neighbouring Niger, the Pentagon announced that the US would withdraw some troops from Chad.
The United States has about 100 troops stationed in Chad as part of its strategy to fight extremists in West Africa.
“USAFRICOM is currently planning to reposition some US military forces from Chad, a portion of which were already scheduled to depart,” Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, told a news conference, referring to the US Africa Command.
He termed the decision a temporary step as part of an ongoing review of the security cooperation, which will resume after Chad’s May 6 presidential election.
The New York Times, citing US officials, reported that the withdrawal of about 75 US special forces personnel will begin at the end of this week and is expected to be completed within a few days.
According to a letter sent to the interim government, Chad’s air force chief this month ordered the US military to halt operations at the air base near the capital N’Djamena.
He said he asked the U.S. military for documents “justifying its presence at the Adji Kossei Air Base” but received none.
US forces at the Adji Kossei military base are training special counter-terrorism forces and elite Chadian military units to fight the Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram.
A Chadian government spokesperson said that the presence of American troops in Chad was initially motivated by a common commitment to the fight against terrorism.
However, the Chadian general staff expressed concerns about the US forces’ presence,” said Abderaman Koulamallah. In response to the concerns expressed, the US government has decided to temporarily withdraw its forces from Chad.
Neighboring Niger is also central to the US and French strategy to fight jihadists in the region.
However, Niger’s ruling military government announced in March that it was terminating a military cooperation agreement with the US government, arguing that it was coercion and that the US military presence there was illegal.
