US withdrew forces from Nigeria after operation against ISIS, AFRICOM chief says

The United States has withdrawn most of the forces it deployed for a recent operation against Islamic State militants in Nigeria and is now providing intelligence support at Abuja’s request, the head of U.S. Africa Command said.

In May, U.S. and Nigerian forces conducted military operations in northeastern Nigeria that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS globally.

That followed a U.S. strike on Christmas Day against the militants ordered by President Donald Trump, who said they had been targeting Christians in the African country.

Addressing a conference of African defense chiefs in Angola on Thursday, AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson described May’s joint U.S.-Nigerian as a model for future security cooperation in Africa.

“We have withdrawn much of our forces that were just there for that operation, but are continuing the partnership that Nigeria has asked for to help continue with the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 told journalists during a U.S. State Department-hosted briefing after the conference.

Anderson said the operation, in Nigeria’s Lake Chad Basin region, demonstrated Washington’s approach of providing specialized capabilities while allowing African partners to lead security operations.

He said cooperation with Nigeria had helped significantly degrade Islamic State’s leadership, adding that the impact had extended beyond West Africa because of the militant group’s international network.

The operation disrupted not only local commanders but also broader Islamic State communications and operations, he added.

“Nigeria has been very active since that operation in May,” Anderson said. “They continue to prosecute targets themselves.”

He added that Nigerian military pressure, combined with efforts to publicize the operation, had encouraged additional defections and surrenders among ISIS fighters in northeastern Nigeria.

The three-day conference in Angola’s capital, Luanda, was attended by military leaders from 35 African countries, alongside representatives from the U.S. and Brazil.

美国非洲司令部司令表示，美国已撤回近期在尼日利亚打击伊斯兰国武装分子行动中部署的大部分部队，目前正应阿布贾的要求提供情报支持。

5 月，美国和尼日利亚军队在尼日利亚东北部开展军事行动，击毙了 ISIS 全球二号人物阿布·比拉尔·米努基。

此前，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普下令在圣诞节当天对武装分子发动空袭，称这些武装分子一直在该非洲国家以基督徒为目标。

周四，美国非洲司令部司令达格文·安德森将军在安哥拉举行的非洲国防部长会议上发表讲话，称五月份美尼联合行动是未来非洲安全合作的典范。

“我们已经撤回了大部分参与那次行动的部队，但正在继续履行尼日利亚提出的合作要求，以帮助继续进行情报共享，”安德森在会后由美国国务院主办的新闻发布会上告诉记者。

安德森表示，此次在尼日利亚乍得湖盆地地区开展的行动表明，华盛顿的做法是提供专业能力，同时允许非洲伙伴领导安全行动。

他表示，与尼日利亚的合作极大地削弱了伊斯兰国的领导层，并补充说，由于该武装组织的国际网络，其影响已经扩展到西非以外。

他补充说，这次行动不仅扰乱了当地指挥官，还扰乱了伊斯兰国更广泛的通信和行动。

安德森说：“自五月份那次行动以来，尼日利亚一直非常活跃。他们继续自行追捕目标。”

他还补充说，尼日利亚军方施加的压力，加上宣传此次行动的努力，鼓励了尼日利亚东北部 ISIS 武装分子进一步叛逃和投降。

在安哥拉首都罗安达举行的为期三天的会议，有来自 35 个非洲国家的军事领导人以及美国和巴西的代表出席。