US to withdraw nearly all troops fighting Ebola in West Africa

The U.S. will withdraw nearly all of its military personnel fighting the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the White House and the Pentagon announced Tuesday.

Nearly all the troops will exit the region by April 30.

About 2,800 military personnel were sent to the region at the height of the epidemic last fall to help construct Ebola treatment units, train health care and aid workers, and provide logistical support.

Figures released last month by the World Health Organization suggest the rate of new infections in the region’s three hardest-hit countries – Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea – is declining sharply.