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[Global Times Comprehensive Report] On the 5th local time, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Niger Ministry of Defense announced in a joint statement that the United States has handed over its last military base in Niger to local authorities. According to the New York Times,PentagonThe statement said, "The withdrawal of US troops and assets from the 201st Air Base in Agadez has been completed." This marks the completion of the US withdrawal from Niger.

According to AFP on the 6th, in early July this year, after nearly 800 US soldiers withdrew from the 101st Air Force Base in Niamey, the capital of Niger, about 200 soldiers remained at the Agadez base in northern Niger. Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said that about 20 soldiers remained at the US Embassy in Niger to handle "administrative work related to the full withdrawal of troops." According to Niger Air-Info news website on the 5th, Niger and US military officials attended the closing ceremony of the Agadez base, which ended with the last US military aircraft taking off from Agadez.

The United States began stationing troops in Niger in 2013, deploying nearly 1,000 soldiers. In March this year, the transitional government of Niger announced that it would terminate its military cooperation agreement with the United States because the agreement was "imposed" by the United States. On May 19, Niger and the U.S. Department of Defense issued a joint communiqué announcing that both sides agreed that the U.S. military would completely withdraw from Niger by September 15 this year at the latest.

The Associated Press reported on the 6th that in recent months, Niger has alienated its Western partners and turned to Russia for security guarantees. In April this year, about 100 Russian military trainers and an air defense system arrived in Niger to help strengthen the country's air defense capabilities.

The New York Times quoted a senior US government official as saying that the competition between the United States and Russia is unfolding on the African continent, and the competition between the two sides has entered a new stage in Niger. Although the United States has lost its military base in Niger, it will continue to participate in it and "may play an important role in regional affairs, providing humanitarian and other assistance, etc."

Agence France-Presse said that Niger's military regime leader, Chairman of the National Committee for the Defense of the Fatherland, Ziyani, is reviewing the country's foreign policy. In addition to clearly moving closer to Russia, Niger has also strengthened its relations with Turkey and Iran. (Li Bo)