The Liberty Daily 
(The Epoch Times)—American forces carried out additional airstrikes against the ISIS terrorist group in northeastern Nigeria on May 17 in coordination with the Nigerian government, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) said on May 18.
“Intelligence confirmed the targets were ISIS militants. Complete assessments are ongoing. No U.S. or Nigerian forces were harmed,” AFRICOM said in a statement.
“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.
“AFRICOM remains committed to leveraging specialized U.S. capabilities in support of our partners to defeat shared security threats.”
The announcement of the strikes follows a May 15 operation that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second in command of ISIS globally, in the northeast of Nigeria.
In a Truth Social post on Friday, U.S President Donald Trump confirmed the killing of al-Minuki, who he said was attempting to hide in Africa.
“Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield,” he wrote.
Trump said the military received information from sources about the ISIS leader’s whereabouts in Africa. He also thanked the Nigerian government for its partnership in the operation.
“He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans,” the U.S. president said. “With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished.”
AFRICOM shared a video of the operation on May 16.
“Last night’s operation targeted a significant presence of ISIS fighters in Northeastern Nigeria, eliminating multiple high value individuals including Abu-Bilal al-Minuki,” it wrote in a post on X.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu also confirmed the strike on the Islamist terror group, saying Nigerian forces worked closely with the U.S. military in a daring joint operation that “dealt a heavy blow to the ranks” of ISIS.
“Nigeria appreciates this partnership with the United States in advancing our shared security objectives. I extend my sincere gratitude to President Trump for his leadership and unwavering support in this effort,” Tinbu said on May 16.
“I commend the personnel involved on both sides for their professionalism and courage, and I look forward to more decisive strikes against all terrorist enclaves across the nation.”
Trump, who has previously accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from Islamist militants, thanked the Nigerian government for its partnership in the operation.
Borno, a state in Nigeria’s northeast, has endured an Islamist insurgency at the hands of Boko Haram and its splinter group Islamic State West Africa Province, the group of which al-Minuki was a commander, for 17 years, which has killed thousands and displaced 2 million people.
Trump said in an October 2025 Truth Social post that Christianity in Nigeria faced “an existential threat” because of terrorist attacks. In response, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said his country is willing to work with the U.S. government and emphasized Nigeria’s stance against religious persecution.
The following month, Trump said he directed a “powerful and deadly strike” against ISIS targets in northwest Nigeria, who he said had been killing Christians “at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries.” A Pentagon spokesperson said the strikes were approved by the Nigerian government.
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” the president wrote in a December 2025 Truth Social post.
The United States deployed about 100 troops to Nigeria in February. Nigeria’s defense ministry said the deployment was made at the request of the Nigerian government to help train its military.
The Trump administration has also designated Nigeria a country of particular concern under the International Religious Freedom Act, which opens the country up to sanctions. The State Department said in December 2025 that it was restricting visas for Nigerians involved in the “mass killing and violence” against Christians.
Nigerian officials have rejected allegations of widespread Christian persecution, saying that the Boko Haram and ISIS West Africa terrorist groups target people of all faiths.
According to Pew Research, Nigeria is one of seven countries in the world with “very high” levels of social hostilities involving religion, led by terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS.
Nigeria is the most populous African country, with about 214 million people and large Christian and Muslim populations.
Aldgra Fredly and Catherine Yang contributed to this report.
