New York Times on Tuesday quoted US officials as saying that the United States intends to reduce its military presence in West Africa to a large extent, even until it withdraws all of its forces involved in countering terrorists.
The newspaper said that the issue is still under internal discussion in the Ministry of Defense as part of a comprehensive redeployment of US forces, and no decision will be taken in this regard until January.
The Pentagon did not comment on this information in response to a question from France Press.
Defense Secretary Mark Esber wants to reconsider US proliferation worldwide by giving up anti-terrorist missions to focus more on two priorities, China and Russia.
The first phase of reducing foreign operations includes Africa, where Washington deploys between six thousand and seven thousand soldiers in the west of the continent as well as in the east, especially in Somalia.
The US withdrawal from West Africa would be a severe blow to French forces fighting jihadist groups in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, according to the New York Times.
He added that Washington´s support for these operations, especially in the areas of intelligence and logistical work, is approximately $ 45 million annually.
The French and the Sahel countries are currently facing an escalation of jihadist violence, which was particularly evident in the killing of 71 Nigerian soldiers in an attack on the Inatis camp on December 10. A few days earlier, 13 French soldiers died in the collision of two helicopters in Mali.
During his 2016 campaign, US President Donald Trump promised to end "endless wars." He has previously announced a significant reduction in the number of US soldiers deployed in Syria and intends to do the same in Afghanistan.
