The United States announces the completion of the withdrawal of its forces from Niger

The United States of America announced, today, Monday, the completion of the withdrawal of its forces from Niger. The US military command in Africa / AFRICOM / said in a statement that the process of withdrawing American forces and equipment from Niger was completed "without complications", and that "the effective cooperation and communication between the US and Nigerien armies ensured that the withdrawal was safe, orderly and responsible", and on the date agreed upon between the two parties. For his part, General Kenneth Ekman, commander of the / AFRICOM / forces, said in statements that Washington still has common security goals with Niger despite the withdrawal of forces and military equipment. He added: "We fully respected their sovereignty... They asked us to leave, and we complied with their wishes, and we did so peacefully and respectfully." Ekman pointed out that the next step will be to listen to Niger's needs for a future security relationship with the United States, noting that Niger has set am ong its conditions not to discuss the future of relations until the withdrawal of American forces is complete. The ruling military council in Niger had given the United States until September 15 to withdraw its forces from its territory. It is worth noting that the leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso signed the Sahel Alliance Treaty last July, confirming their determination to chart a common course outside the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), as the treaty confirmed the three countries' intention to withdraw from the group. Source: National Iraqi News Agency