The United States Africa Command, AFRICOM, has confirmed additional coordinated airstrikes against ISIS fighters in Nigeria’s North-East, marking a fresh phase in ongoing joint counterterrorism operations with the Nigerian military.
In a statement released Monday, AFRICOM said U.S. forces, working in coordination with the Government of Nigeria, carried out targeted kinetic strikes against ISIS positions in the region on May 17, 2026.
The command said intelligence confirmed that the targets were ISIS militants, adding that full battle damage assessments were still ongoing.
“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 statement read.
“Intelligence confirmed the targets were ISIS militants. Complete assessments are ongoing. No U.S. or Nigerian forces were harmed.”
Earlier on Monday, Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters announced that coordinated Nigeria-U.S. operations in the Metele axis of the North-East had neutralised more than 20 ISIS fighters during sustained offensives against the terrorist group.
The latest operation comes just three days after a joint Nigerian-U.S. mission reportedly eliminated senior ISIS commander Abu Bilal al-Minuki during an operation conducted on May 16.
AFRICOM said the latest strikes would significantly weaken the terrorist group’s operational capabilities.
“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 stated.
AFRICOM added that it remains committed to deploying specialised U.S. capabilities in support of partner nations to counter shared security threats and degrade terrorist networks across the region.
