FILE of the Niger military compound called Air base 101 in the Niger capital Niamey where foreign troops are housed. This as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says that Russian soldiers had deployed to the base which also houses American troops, after the country's military rulers decided to expel US forces. The last remaining French troops also departed from this base in December 2023, after Niger's junta kicked out soldiers from the former colonial power, following the ouster of elected president Mohamed Bazoum. FILE IMAGES