The U.S. military says a joint operation with Nigerian forces in northern Nigeria killed a senior ISIS figure and several other militants, in what it described as a coordinated counterterrorism strike carried out on Friday.
U.S. Africa Command said the mission targeted Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom it identified as the director of global operations for ISIS. In a statement released Saturday, AFRICOM said the operation was conducted with Nigerian counterparts and that no U.S. service members were hurt.
The command said al-Minuki had played a central role in the group’s global network. According to AFRICOM, he provided strategic guidance on media and financial operations and was involved in the development and manufacture of weapons, explosives and drones. The command also said he had a long history of planning attacks and directing hostage-taking operations.
The strike is part of a broader U.S. effort to support Nigerian forces fighting militant violence in the country, where ISIS-linked groups and Boko Haram have operated for years. The article in Stars and Stripes said around 200 U.S. troops were sent to Nigeria earlier this year to train local forces battling Islamist militants. It also said Trump ordered a contingent of American troops to support operations against militants, and that the Nigeria deployment followed earlier airstrikes on Islamist extremists in the country.
AFRICOM framed the mission as evidence of a stronger security partnership between Washington and Abuja. Gen. Dagvin Anderson said the operation showed the value of a growing U.S.-Nigeria relationship and said both countries would continue to pursue terrorist threats. The statement presented the joint raid as a successful example of coordination between the two militaries.
The target and the broader mission matter because Nigeria’s security problems have widened well beyond one armed group. The Stars and Stripes report said various militants, including those linked to ISIS and Boko Haram, have remained active in northern Nigeria for more than a decade. It also noted that attacks have affected both Christians and Muslims.
The U.S. command did not say how many militants were killed besides al-Minuki, and the report did not provide the exact location of the operation. It also did not describe whether any Nigerian personnel were injured. What AFRICOM did make clear was that the operation was planned and executed jointly, that it focused on an ISIS leader viewed as strategically important, and that the mission ended without American casualties.
The episode adds to a pattern of U.S.-backed counterterrorism activity in West Africa, where international forces have long tried to blunt insurgent groups that move across borders and exploit weak security conditions. The latest operation suggests that Washington and Abuja are deepening cooperation even as armed groups remain active across northern Nigeria.
