Nigeria says joint strikes with the US have killed 175 Islamic State
group fighters
[May 20, 2026]
By OPE ADETAYO and BEN FINLEY
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — A joint operation by the United States and Nigeria
against Islamic State group fighters has killed 175 over the past few
days, Nigeria's military said Tuesday, while the head of the U.S. Africa
Command said it showed the capabilities its forces could bring in
Africa, home to the “epicenter of global terrorism.”
The U.S. sent troops to Nigeria in February in what was deemed a mostly
advisory and training role, but the joint operation signals more active
involvement. The U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, confirmed the joint
operation, saying no U.S. or Nigerian troops were harmed.
The gains against IS militants followed the killing last week of the
deputy of the group's West Africa chapter, Abu Bakr al-Mainuki, the
first successful targeting of a senior militant in more than a decade of
insurgency in Nigeria.
Nigeria's military on Tuesday reported the killing of another senior
leader, Abd-al Wahhab, who it said was responsible for coordinating
finance and attack planning and logistics.
Nigerian military spokesperson Samaila Uba said the strikes also
destroyed weapons, checkpoints and financial networks of the militants
across the country's northeast.
Militant groups like Boko Haram and its IS splinter group operate across
vast areas in addition to numerous criminal groups specializing in
kidnapping for ransom, generally called “bandits.” The crisis has killed
thousands of people, according to the United Nations.
U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, who oversees AFRICOM, told a
congressional hearing on Tuesday that Nigeria played a pivotal role in
the weekend operations.
[to top of second column]
|
“The Nigerians have been instrumental throughout the last several
months, developing the target, helping us with the intelligence and
providing support in order to do that,” Anderson said. “So it could
not have been done by our own forces."
The Islamic State group has been pivoting to Africa after setbacks
in the Middle East, with West Africa becoming a major site of
operation, according to the crisis monitoring group Armed Conflict
Location and Event Data.
The “epicenter of global terrorism is in Africa," Anderson said,
adding that the operations with Nigeria underscore the relationships
that U.S. forces are building on the continent to protect American
security interests.
“We cannot operate there and respond to these crises or these
threats without the access, basing and overflight that is dependent
upon the relationships with these partners,” Anderson said. “So we
are investing a significant amount of effort in order to build those
relationships and build that credibility.”
Asked about the biggest challenges to that effort, Anderson replied
that “the biggest concern I have is the growing black hole of
intelligence in the Sahel" because of the withdrawal of French and
other partners and the U.S. withdrawal from Niger.
The military governments of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have turned
to Russia as a security partner instead.
___
Finley reported from Washington.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
