Nigerian troops, working with U.S. Africa Command, have carried out fresh air strikes against ISIS militants in Metele, North East Nigeria, killing more than 20 fighters.
The Defence Headquarters said the strikes were conducted after intelligence showed a convergence and movement of terrorist elements in the area.
The operation forms part of ongoing efforts to disrupt ISIS/ISWAP networks and deny them safe havens in Nigeria.
The latest strikes follow the recent neutralisation of ISIS commander Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the Defence Headquarters said in a statement on May 18, 2026.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria will continue to aggressively defend the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of the nation,” said Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, Director of Defence Information.
“Terrorists who threaten our citizens, communities and national stability will be located and defeated. There will be no safe haven for all terrorists anywhere in Nigeria.”
The military said the coordinated operations are aimed at removing terrorist fighters from the battlefield and preventing them from regrouping in the North East.
The “additional kinetic” strikes happened on Sunday, AFRICOM said in a statement on Monday, adding that no US or Nigerian forces were harmed during the operation.
“The removal of these terrorists diminishes the group’s capacity to plan attacks that threaten the safety and security of the US and our partners,” the statement said. “AFRICOM remains committed to leveraging specialized US capabilities in support of our partners to defeat shared security threats.”
The US attack in coordination with Nigeria came two days after the presidents of both countries announced the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second in command of ISIL. He was targeted “along with several of his lieutenants” in a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said on Saturday.
Before pledging allegiance to ISIL in 2015, al-Minuki was a prominent Boko Haram leader, according to the Nigerian army, which said al-Minuki oversaw key ISIL operations in the Sahel and West African regions for the ISIL affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP).
