The withdrawal, which has already begun, is to be completed no later than Sept. 15, the U.S. Defense Department and Nigeria's Ministry of National Defense said.
Under the agreement -- produced following five days of negotiations in Niamey -- Nigeria has committed to protect U.S. forces to help ensure their safe withdrawal.
"The withdrawal of U.S. forces from Niger does not affect the continuation of U.S.-Niger development relations," the two militaries said in a joint statement.
"The United States and Niger are committed to ongoing diplomatic dialogue to define the future of their bilateral relations."
Niger has been an important ally to the United States for more than a decade in its fight against terrorism in the Sahel region and was home to the largest U.S. military presence on the continent at more than 1,000 troops, according to the Congressional Research Service.
But in July 2023, Niger's U.S.-aligned democratic government fell to a military coup as have several West African nations in the past few years. Then in March 2024, the Russia-friendly junta rescinded its state of forces agreement with the United States that laid the foundation for the U.S. military's presence in the country.
Since the coup, Niger has grown closer to both Russia and Iran, sparking worries in Washington. Earlier this month, the U.S. Defense Department acknowledged that U.S. and Russian soldiers were cohabitating on the same Niger base but in separate hangars.
Senior U.S. officials told reporters from Niamey that the U.S. forces will be re-posturing in the region and look for a different approach to conducting counterterrorism, while stating that both sides are seeking to maintain military and diplomatic relations.
Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell is to visit the African nation in the weeks and months to come to discussion bilateral relations, they said.
"They are very clear, at least at the seniorest, most military levels, that they want to maintain a relationship with us," a senior defense official said.
They suggested that in the absence of the French military and now that of the U.S., Niger will be able to take stock of its actual counterterrorism capabilities.
"I think time will tell, unfortunately," the defense official said.
A senior military official reiterated that at least on the military side, Niger emphasized that they didn't see this withdrawal as the end of their relationship "but that a new relationship needed to be negotiated" based on the wants of the junta, know as the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland.
Niger PM blames US 'threats' for broken military ties
Niamey, Niger (AFP) May 14, 2024 -
Junta-led Niger cut military ties with the United States in March because it threatened sanctions, Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine said in a Washington Post interview published Tuesday.
Niamey announced in mid-March it was ending a military cooperation agreement with Washington, shortly after a US delegation left the Sahelian country.
Niger has been a key base for counter-terrorism operations in West Africa, with a major US drone base near Agadez city.
Zeine said Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee, who led the delegation's visit, threatened Niamey with sanctions if Niger signed an agreement to sell the uranium it produces to Iran.
"First, you have come here to threaten us in our country. That is unacceptable," Zeine said he told Phee.
"And you have come here to tell us with whom we can have relationships, which is also unacceptable. And you have done it all with a condescending tone and a lack of respect," Zeine recounted.
Asked about Zeine's account, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel did not dispute that Phee presented the junta with a "choice" and said that she was conveying a "coordinated US government position".
Phee offered "a choice that was rooted in our belief in democratic principles and what was in our national security interests," Patel told reporters in Washington.
He said that the United States decided to withdraw forces "in an orderly and responsible" way after realising that the two sides could not come to an understanding.
The United States in April agreed to withdraw the more than 1,000 American personnel and discussions with Niger are underway.
"The Americans stayed on our soil, doing nothing while the terrorists killed people and burned towns," said Zeine, who has led negotiations with the United States.
"It is not a sign of friendship to come on our soil but let the terrorists attack us.
"We have seen what the United States will do to defend its allies, because we have seen Ukraine and Israel."
After a July coup last year overthrew elected president Mohamed Bazoum, the United States suspended military support.
By contrast, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates welcomed the new leaders with "open arms", Zeine told the Post.
Following the coup, the junta expelled troops from former colonial power France before the end of 2023 and ramped up ties with Russia, which sent military instructors and equipment in April and May.
US development aid is set to continue with a new agreement worth almost $500 million over three years, according to the Niger Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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