Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has downplayed the risks associated with the proximity of Russian and U.S. forces, emphasizing that the Russians are segregated from American troops

Russian forces are now operating inside an air base in Niger where U.S. troops also are positioned, but they pose little risk to American personnel there, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said this week.

A U.S. official says Russia has moved some troops onto an airbase in Niger where a small number of U.S. forces remain after most American troops left the base in the nation’s capital

Russian troops have been deployed to an airbase in Niger where American troops are located, top US officials say. The move is seen as adding pressure to the US as it negotiates withdrawing its forces from the country,

Proximity of the two countries’ forces follows request by junta ruling west African nation for the US to pull its troops out

Russian military personnel have been staying at an air base in Niger that also hosts U.S. troops and equipment, a U.S. official confirmed to The Hill Thursday. The news comes as roughly 1,000 American service members are expected to withdraw from Niger following deteriorating relations with the African nation after a military coup there