WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon is preparing to withdraw about 200 U.S. troops from Nigeria by late September, The New York Times (NYT) reported Thursday.
Small teams of U.S. trainers and intelligence analysts are expected to remain after the larger contingent leaves, according to the NYT report, citing U.S. military officials.
The U.S. troops were sent to northeastern Nigeria in February, weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the country for failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks, though both Christians and Muslims have been victims of the violence, said the report.
The U.S. troops' mission appears to have had limited success, according to the report, which noted that on Saturday, gunmen launched a large assault on a military base in the northeast of the country.
In recent days, gunmen reportedly killed more than two dozen people, including an imam, in northwestern Nigeria, and at least 25 people in an attack on a village in the central part of the country. ■