An image shared on Facebook claims to show Russian troops at a United States base in Niger.

Verdict: Misleading

The image was taken in Syria, not Niger. The image is also from 2020, not 2024.

Fact Check:

Delegations from the U.S. and Niger met to discuss how the former would withdraw 900 military personnel from Niger, according to Voice of America. (RELATED: Video Showing UN Vehicles Are Irish Defense Forces)

Social media users are sharing an image of American troops looking at Russian armored vehicles, claiming it shows the U.S. base in Niger. One user wrote, “Russian army takes a base the US built and paid for in Niger while the US soldiers watch.”

This claim is misleading. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the image was taken in Syria, not Niger. It shows U.S. troops in Syria watching Russian armored personnel carriers in May 2020.

“US soldiers stand along a road across from Russian military armoured personnel carriers (APCs), near the village of Tannuriyah in the countryside east of Qamishli in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah province on May 2, 2020,” reads the image caption.

The U.S. and Russia both have troops in Syria, according to Business Insider. US and Russian troops met near the Turkish border when their patrols took them near each other and they later took photos and shook hands with each other, the outlet reported.

CNN reported in early May that Russian troops are operating inside of a US base in Niger for several weeks, though they were using a separate hangar on the base.