The United States (US) has reaffirmed its growing security partnership with Nigeria, highlighting recent joint military operations against terrorist groups operating in the country.
Speaking before the US House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Marco Rubio, secretary of state said the United States is actively working with Nigerian security agencies in ongoing counterterrorism efforts.
Rubio made the remarks while presenting the US State Department’s fiscal year 2027 budget request. He noted that concerns remain over persistent violence affecting Christian communities in parts of Nigeria.
“We are now actively in counterterrorism cooperation with the Nigerian government and Nigerian security forces, including a joint operation a couple of weeks ago that took out the number two leader of global ISIS operating from inside of the country, and that continues,” Rubio said.
The operation he referenced resulted in the death of Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, identified as ISIS’s second-in-command. Al-Minuki was killed on May 15 during a joint US-Nigerian mission targeting his base in the Lake Chad Basin.
Earlier, Pete Hegseth described Al-Minuki as a key figure responsible for attacks that claimed the lives of many Christians in Nigeria.
President Bola Tinubu confirmed the terrorist leader’s death, revealing that several of his lieutenants were also eliminated during the operation. Tinubu welcomed the development and expressed support for further coordinated strikes against extremist groups.
The joint campaign has continued in the weeks since Al-Minuki’s death.
According to the Defence Headquarters, more than 20 ISIS/ISWAP fighters were killed in coordinated US-Nigerian air strikes in Metele, Borno State, shortly after the operation.
On June 1, the Nigerian military, working alongside United States Africa Command (US AFRICOM), reportedly carried out another air strike in Arege, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, killing 21 suspected ISWAP fighters.
The latest operations underscore the expanding US-Nigeria counterterrorism cooperation aimed at weakening terrorist networks in the Lake Chad region and curbing insurgent violence across northeastern Nigeria.
