Defense Secretary Mark Esper will consider proposals for a major reduction of U.S. troops in West Africa or even a complete pullout of forces from the region, The New York Times is reporting.
In a story posted Tuesday, the newspaper said the proposals will be part of a review of global troop deployments that could result in the reshuffling of thousands of U.S. military personnel. It attributed the information to officials familiar with internal deliberations.
The discussions were sparked by a push to reduce missions against some terrorist groups and instead confront countries like Russia and China, according to the newspaper.
The African Command has been given until January to draft plans for a reduction in troops and for a complete withdrawal.
The discussions include leaving a $110 million drone base in Niger and ending assistance to the French forces fighting militants in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.
“We’ve begun a review process where I’m looking at every theater, understanding what the requirements are that we set out for, making sure we’re as efficient as possible with our forces,” Esper said.
The American troops’ primary mission has been to train West African military forces to suppress Islamist groups. Esper’s team wants to cut back the missions focusing on militants who pose no threat to the United States, the Times said.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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