U.S. and Nigeria Conduct Air Strikes on Islamic State Targets

The United States and Nigeria carried out air strikes against Islamic State group targets in northeastern Nigeria on Sunday. The strikes were conducted on Sunday, US Africa Command said in a statement released on Monday. Intelligence confirmed the targets were ISIS militants, the command said. Complete assessments are ongoing, and no US or Nigerian forces were harmed.

The new strikes came two days after the United States and Nigeria announced that a joint operation killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, an IS leader described as the group's second-in-command worldwide. Al-Minuki had been under US sanctions since 2023. Northern Nigeria has faced the double threat of attacks from jihadist groups allied to IS and from criminal gangs that stalk villages and carry out mass kidnappings.

One such kidnapping on Friday resulted in the abduction of 46 people, most of them children.

The insecurity had drawn criticism from US President Donald Trump, who said Nigeria's Christians were being persecuted. The Nigerian government has rejected the claim, insisting that Christians and Muslims were equally the victims of the violence. The region continues to face threats from multiple armed groups operating in the northeast.