Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare received US Ambassador to Niger Kathleen Fitzgibbon and Maria Barron, director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Niger, on Monday.
Pentagon Spokesperson Patrick Ryder confirmed the beginning of the talks between the two countries regarding the withdrawal of US forces, which consist of about 1,100 soldiers.
Ryder added that a delegation of senior officers from the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) would be sent to Niamey.
Niger’s ruling military junta’s Spokesman Amadou Abdramane recently announced the expiration of the military cooperation agreement with the United States, taking into account the people’s aspirations and interests, and described the US military presence as illegal, claiming that it violates all constitutional regulations.
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