Russian troops enter air base hosting US troops in Niger
This action will have been taken with the support of the country's authorities, who want to try to expel the US military in this way, said a US official, who preferred to remain anonymous.
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Russian military personnel entered an air base in Niger that hosts U.S. troops on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
The move was made with the support of the country’s ruling military junta, which has been trying to push out U.S. forces, a U.S. official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The military junta that rules the West African nation had previously told the U.S. to remove its roughly 1,000 troops from the country, which had been a key partner in the fight against insurgents who have killed thousands and displaced millions since a 2017 coup.
After entering the base, the Russian troops took up positions in a separate hangar at Air Base 101, which is adjacent to Niger’s international airport in the capital Niamey, Reuters reported. That kept them physically separated from U.S. forces.
But the move puts American and Russian troops in close proximity at a time of heightened military and diplomatic rivalry between the countries over the war in Ukraine.
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