US, Nigeria Intensify Joint Strikes Against ISIS-Linked Militants – Rubio

US, Nigeria Intensify Joint Strikes Against ISIS-Linked Militants – Rubio

The United States has reaffirmed its expanding security partnership with Nigeria, highlighting recent joint military operations targeting high-ranking terrorist leaders operating in the country’s North-East.

Speaking before the US House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, said Washington is actively working with Nigerian security forces in ongoing counterterrorism cooperation with Nigeria, including recent coordinated strikes against Islamic State-linked militants.

Rubio made the remarks while defending the US State Department’s fiscal year 2027 budget proposal, noting that the partnership has intensified amid continued instability in the Lake Chad Basin.

“We are now actively in counterterrorism cooperation with the Nigerian government and Nigerian security forces, including a joint operation a couple of weeks ago that took out the number two leader of global ISIS operating from inside of the country, and that continues,” Rubio said.

US officials identified the killed militant as Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, described as a senior ISIS figure linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). He was reportedly killed on May 15 during a coordinated operation involving US intelligence support and Nigerian military forces in the Lake Chad region.

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US defense officials, including Pentagon spokesperson Pete Hegseth, said Al-Minuki played a central role in planning and directing attacks across parts of northern Nigeria, including assaults on civilian and religious communities.

Following the operation, President Bola Tinubu confirmed the militant leader’s death and praised the joint security effort, stating that several of his commanders were also neutralised in the strike. He described the development as a significant step in ongoing efforts to degrade terrorist networks operating in the country.

Security sources say the operation marked one of the most high-profile targeted killings of an ISIS-affiliated commander in Nigeria in recent years.

In the weeks following the strike, the Nigerian military reported additional coordinated air operations in Borno State. According to the Defence Headquarters, more than 20 ISWAP fighters were killed in an air raid in Metele shortly after the initial operation.

On June 1, another joint intelligence-backed operation involving the Nigerian Air Force and US Africa Command (US AFRICOM) reportedly struck militant positions in Arege, Kukawa Local Government Area, killing at least 21 suspected ISWAP fighters.

Military authorities say the sustained operations are part of a broader strategy to disrupt insurgent logistics networks, eliminate senior commanders, and reduce attacks in the Lake Chad Basin region, which has remained a hotspot for jihadist activity for over a decade.

The US-Nigeria partnership has also focused on intelligence sharing, surveillance support, and counter-IED capabilities, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s response to Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgencies in the North-East.

Analysts say the renewed operational tempo reflects a deeper phase of security cooperation between both countries, even as concerns persist over civilian protection, regional spillover risks, and the long-term stability of liberated communities.

The latest developments underscore Washington’s continued strategic interest in West Africa’s security landscape, particularly in countering extremist groups operating across porous borders in the Sahel and Lake Chad region.

US, Nigeria Intensify Joint Strikes Against ISIS-Linked Militants – Rubio