Nigeria and the United States said on Tuesday that joint airstrikes had killed 175 Islamic State fighters in the country’s northeast.
The Nigerian military said on Tuesday that 175 IS militants had so far been “eliminated from the battlefield”.
In a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, it said the operations inflicted what it described as a “devastating blow” on terrorist networks operating within the region, with several strategic targets destroyed during the offensive.
PRESS RELEASE
UPDATE ON NIGERIA- UNITED STATES JOINT STRIKES ON ISIS: FORCES DELIVER DEVASTATING BLOW, ELIMINATE 175 TERRORISTS
The Defence Headquarters wishes to announce major successes in continuing counterterrorism operations in close coordination with United States Africa… pic.twitter.com/vxp4XSzRPQ
— DEFENCE HQ NIGERIA (@DHQNigeria) May 19, 2026
An AFRICOM spokesman confirmed the toll of 175 among the jihadists.
AFRICOM commander General Dagvin Anderson told a Congressional hearing in Washington that Nigeria had been “instrumental throughout the last several months, developing the target, helping us with the intelligence, and providing support”.
US and Nigerian forces killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, an IS leader described as the “most active terrorist” in the world, at a remote village in the northeast last weekend.
As director of global operations for IS, the slain al-Minuki provided strategic guidance on media and financial operations and “the development and manufacturing of weapons, explosives and drones”, according to the Nigerian military and the US Africa Command (AFRICOM)
After the announcement of al-Minuki’s death, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu thanked his US counterpart, Donald Trump, for his “leadership and unwavering support”.
He said he looked forward to “more decisive strikes against all terrorist enclaves across the nation”.
Senior figures
According to Tuesday’s military statement, the operations in the last few days have killed other key IS figures.
They include Abd-al Wahhab, said to be a “senior leader” of ISWAP, “responsible for coordinating attacks and distributing propaganda”.
Abu Musa al-Mangawi was said to be a high-ranking ISWAP member, while Abu al-Muthanna al-Muhajir was a “senior media production team manager and close confidant to al-Minuki”.
“Several key ISIS leaders” were killed, according to Anderson.
On May 18, #AFRICOM, conducted counter terrorism efforts in coordination with Nigeria against an ISIS fighter camp in NE Nigeria. No U.S. or Nigerian forces were harmed.
Full press release: https://t.co/uDJBlRaQAU#AFRICOM #Nigeria #CounterTerrorism pic.twitter.com/pQ1kKksbP7
— U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) (@USAfricaCommand) May 19, 2026
Boko Haram and ISWAP have recently stepped up reported attacks on villages, police stations, and workers such as loggers and fishermen, as well as military bases, causing the deaths of several civilians and senior army officers.
The upsurge in attacks prompted Tinubu to declare a nationwide state of emergency in 2025 and the US president to threaten Nigeria with military intervention.
Trump has claimed that Christians in Nigeria were being “persecuted” and were victims of a “genocide” carried out by “terrorists”.
The government in Abuja and most experts reject the claim and point out that the violence generally affects Christians and Muslims without distinction.
The US military, in coordination with the Nigerian authorities, carried out airstrikes on December 25 last year in the northwestern state of Sokoto, targeting what Washington called jihadists.
Northern Nigeria has been grappling with violence from criminal gangs known locally as bandits, who frequently carry out attacks on villages and mass kidnappings for ransom.
Africom has also taken action against IS and al-Shabaab militants in Somalia, intensifying airstrikes since the beginning of the year.
