US, Nigeria launch new airstrikes against ISIS days after killing top leader

U.S. and Nigerian forces carried out another round of airstrikes against ISIS fighters in northeastern Nigeria on May 17, just days after a joint operation killed a senior Islamic State leader, according to U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).

AFRICOM said in a press release that the “additional kinetic strikes” were conducted in coordination with the Nigerian government. Assessments are still underway, but no U.S. or Nigerian forces were harmed in the operation, the command said. 

AP News reported that the Nigerian military said May 18 the operation killed more than 20 Islamic State group militants in Borno state. A military spokesperson said the operation was part of an ongoing effort to “disrupt terrorist networks, remove them from the battlefield, and deny the terrorists any safe haven within Nigeria,” according to the outlet.

The strikes follow a separate U.S.-Nigerian operation days earlier that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom President Donald Trump described as ISIS’s global second-in-command. Trump announced the mission in a May 15 Truth Social post, saying it was “flawlessly executed” and “meticulously planned.”

“He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans. With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished,” Trump said of al-Minuki. “Thank you to the Government of Nigeria for your partnership on this operation.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed in a May 16 X post that U.S. forces killed al-Minuki and other ISIS leaders in coordination with the Armed Forces of Nigeria and at Trump’s command.

“Back in November 2025, President Trump declared to the world that we will help protect Christians in Nigeria and instructed the Department of War to prepare for action,” Hegseth said. “So, for months, we hunted this top ISIS leader in Nigeria who was killing Christians, and we killed him — and his entire posse.”

Hegseth added al-Minuki was responsible for “overseeing the planning of attacks, directing hostage-taking, and managing financial operations.” He said the mission should “serve as a reminder that we will hunt down those who wish to harm Americans or innocent Christians, wherever they are.”

The announcement comes amid a broader U.S. campaign against ISIS. In February, U.S. Central Command said in a press release that it conducted 10 strikes against more than 30 ISIS targets in Syria to “sustain relentless military pressure on remnants from the terrorist network.” It also said that, over a two-month span of targeted operations, more than 50 ISIS terrorists had been killed or captured and more than 100 ISIS infrastructure targets had been struck.