Tuesday, May 19, 2026 - United States Africa Command has confirmed fresh coordinated airstrikes targeting ISIS fighters in Nigeria’s North-East region as part of ongoing joint counterterrorism operations with Nigerian forces.
In a statement released on Monday, May 18, via its official
X account, AFRICOM said U.S. and Nigerian forces carried out additional strikes
against ISIS targets on May 17, 2026. “On May 17, 2026, U.S. Africa Command, in
coordination with the Government of Nigeria, conducted additional kinetic
strikes against ISIS in Northeastern Nigeria,” the command stated. AFRICOM said intelligence
assessments confirmed that the targets were ISIS militants and disclosed that
further evaluations of the operation were still ongoing. “Intelligence
confirmed the targets were ISIS militants. Complete assessments are ongoing. No
U.S. or Nigerian forces were harmed,” the statement added
According to AFRICOM, the operation was intended to weaken
the terrorist group’s operational capabilities and reduce threats posed to
allied nations. “The removal of these terrorists diminishes the group’s
capacity to plan attacks that threaten the safety and security of the U.S. and
our partners,” the command said
Earlier on Monday, Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters announced
that coordinated Nigeria-U.S. offensives in the Matele axis of the North-East
neutralised 20 additional ISIS fighters during sustained military operations
against the extremist group
The latest operation follows a joint Nigerian-U.S. mission
reportedly carried out on Friday, May 15, during which senior ISIS commander
Abu Bilal al-Minuki was said to have been killed.
Al-Minuki had reportedly been listed among the world’s most
wanted terrorists. AFRICOM reiterated its commitment to supporting partner
countries through specialised military assistance aimed at countering terrorism
and dismantling extremist networks across the African continent.
0 Comments