U.S. and Nigerian Forces Target ISIS in New Offensive

U.S. and Nigerian military forces have initiated a new offensive against ISIS fighters in Nigeria, just days following a significant operation that resulted in the death of a key global ISIS leader, as noted by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).

On Monday, AFRICOM reported that it had conducted extensive assaults on ISIS positions in collaboration with the Nigerian military. An assessment is currently underway; however, there were no reported casualties among U.S. or Nigerian troops during these operations.

“Destroying these terrorists hampers their capacity to orchestrate attacks that jeopardize the security of the United States and its allies,” AFRICOM stated.

This airstrike followed President Donald Trump’s announcement from late Friday, declaring that U.S. and Nigerian forces had successfully killed Abu Bilal al-Minuki, who held the position of ISIS’ second-in-command globally.

Trump also highlighted this development on social media, mentioning that al-Minuki believed he could evade capture in Africa, unaware that U.S. intelligence had been tracking his movements. “He will no longer terrorize people in Africa or engage in planning attacks against Americans,” Trump remarked.

On Saturday, Army Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that the U.S. military had collaborated with Nigerian forces to track down and eliminate al-Minuki, pointing to his involvement in violence against Christians in Nigeria. “We hunted down the top leader of ISIS, who had been killing Christians in Nigeria for months, and killed him along with his men,” Hegseth added.

The announcement also coincides with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reporting ongoing military actions targeting numerous ISIS sites in Syria as part of a broader strategy to sustain pressure on the terrorist organization.