The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced on Monday that it carried out additional airstrikes against the Islamic State in northeastern Nigeria on Sunday. The operation was conducted in coordination with the Nigerian government, and AFRICOM confirmed that no U.S. or Nigerian forces were harmed during the strikes. It is estimated that at least 20 militants were killed in the operation.
Background of the Operation
This latest action comes just days after President Donald Trump stated that a joint U.S.-Nigerian operation had killed a top leader of the ISIS group in Nigeria. In a social media post, Trump revealed that the mission, which took place in the early hours of Saturday, targeted Abu Bakr al-Mainuki, a senior figure within the local Islamic State chapter in West Africa.
Nigeria's government and military confirmed that the operation in the Lake Chad Basin—a stronghold of both Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)—was the result of a recently formed partnership with the U.S. government.
Details on Abu Bakr al-Mainuki
Al-Mainuki was born in 1982 in Mainok (or Mainuki), a village in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state, the epicenter of an insurgency crisis that began with the formation of Boko Haram around 2009. He became one of the key commanders of ISWAP following its split from Boko Haram and served as a deputy to Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the ISWAP leader who was reported to have died in 2021.
A Nigerian military spokesperson described al-Mainuki as a "key ISIS operational and strategic figure" who was central to the group's media operations, finances, and weapons development. The military also noted that recent intelligence suggested he might have been appointed as "Head of the General Directorate of States," making him second-in-command within the global IS hierarchy—a claim also made by Trump but disputed by some analysts.
In 2023, the U.S. Department of State listed al-Mainuki as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist."
U.S.-Nigeria Relations and Cooperation
The Nigerian government acknowledged that U.S. intelligence and cooperation were key to the operation. This marks a significant development after bilateral relations reached a low point last year when Trump accused the Nigerian government of "Christian genocide." The government repeatedly denied the persecution of Christians and engaged the U.S. government, leading to renewed military cooperation. In February, the U.S. sent troops to Nigeria following an airstrike that targeted IS in December.
Government officials had previously stated that U.S. troops were restricted to advisory and training roles, but this weekend's operation signals a new phase, according to analysts.
"It would demonstrate to them (militants) that the American-Nigerian operation has really picked up," said Bulama Burkati, a security analyst on sub-Saharan Africa. "We know the Nigerian forces lack the basic capacity to fight violent extremist groups, especially in places like the Lake Chad region, which is densely forested."
The Lake Chad Region
Several armed groups operate in the resource-rich four-country Lake Chad region, funding their operations by taxing local communities. The region's landscape provides ample cover for these groups to avoid military strikes, making counterterrorism efforts particularly challenging.
