The United States has withdrawn most of the troops it deployed to Nigeria earlier this year following the completion of a joint military operation against Islamic State militants in the Lake Chad Basin.
The operation, launched with Nigerian forces, lasted several months and resulted in the killing of senior Islamic State commander Abu-Bilal al-Minuki.
About 200 US troops were deployed in February after the two countries carried out air strikes against militant positions on Christmas Day.
Announcing the withdrawal on Thursday, the US military described the mission as successful.
General Dagvin Anderson, Commander of US Air Forces in Africa, said the operation had “significantly degraded” Islamic State’s leadership in Nigeria.
He added that the group’s local command structure and its links with the wider Islamic State network had been disrupted, making it harder for the militants to communicate and coordinate attacks.
Nigeria’s military said the departure of the US troops ”would not affect its fight against insurgents”.
“The withdrawal of US soldiers will not affect our momentum in any way,” military spokesman Major General Michael Onoja told the BBC.
He said intelligence sharing between Nigeria and the United States would continue, a position also confirmed by the US military.
Despite the operation, jihadist groups continue to carry out deadly attacks across north-eastern Nigeria, where communities have faced years of violence.
The deployment came after the United States accused Nigerian authorities of not doing enough to protect vulnerable communities from Islamist militants and alleged there was a “Christian genocide” in the country.
Nigeria strongly rejected the allegation, insisting that the conflict is more complex and affects people from different religious and ethnic backgrounds.
Groups that monitor violence in Nigeria say many of the victims of jihadist attacks are Muslims because most of the insurgency takes place in the country’s predominantly Muslim north.
Although most of the deployed troops have now left, Major General Samaila Uba told the BBC that US military personnel who were already stationed in Nigeria before the Lake Chad Basin mission remain in the country.
Nigeria continues to battle several security threats, including Islamist insurgency in the north-east, armed banditry in the north-west and growing criminal violence that has spread into parts of central and southern Nigeria.
