US Withdraws Forces from Nigeria After Joint ISIS Operation Kills Deputy Leader
The United States withdrew most combat troops deployed for a joint operation with Nigeria in May 2026 that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, ISIS’s global second-in-command, in the Lake Chad Basin. AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson announced the drawdown at a defense chiefs conference in Luanda, Angola, calling the mission a model for future African security cooperation. The U.S. continues intelligence support, while Nigerian forces independently prosecute targets, leading to increased ISIS defections.
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US withdraws forces from Nigeria after joint operation kills ISIS second-in-command
The United States has withdrawn most of the forces deployed for a joint operation with Nigeria in May 2026 that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS. AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson described the operation in Nigeria's Lake Chad Basin as a model for future security cooperation in Africa, emphasizing Washington's approach of providing specialized capabilities while allowing African partners to lead. The US continues intelligence sharing at Nigeria's request. Anderson stated the operation significantly degraded ISIS leadership and disrupted communications, and that Nigerian forces have continued prosecuting targets independently. The announcement came during a conference of African defense chiefs in Luanda, Angola, attended by military leaders from 35 African countries, the US, and Brazil.
Military TimesUS withdrew forces from Nigeria after operation against ISIS, AFRICOM chief says
The United States has withdrawn most of the forces deployed for a joint operation with Nigeria against Islamic State militants in May 2026, which killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS. AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson described the Lake Chad Basin operation as a model for future security cooperation in Africa, emphasizing Washington's approach of providing specialized capabilities while African partners lead. The US continues intelligence sharing at Nigeria's request. Anderson noted that Nigerian military pressure and publicity of the operation have encouraged defections and surrenders among ISIS fighters. The operation followed a Christmas Day US strike ordered by President Donald Trump against militants targeting Christians. Anderson spoke at a conference of African defense chiefs in Luanda, Angola, attended by 35 African nations, the US, and Brazil.
Marine Corps TimesUS withdrew forces from Nigeria after operation against ISIS, AFRICOM chief says
The United States has withdrawn most of the forces deployed for a joint operation with Nigeria against Islamic State militants in May 2026, which killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS. AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson described the operation in Nigeria's Lake Chad Basin region as a model for future security cooperation in Africa, emphasizing Washington's approach of providing specialized capabilities while allowing African partners to lead. The US continues to provide intelligence support at Abuja's request. Anderson stated the operation significantly degraded ISIS leadership and disrupted its communications and operations beyond West Africa. Nigerian military pressure, combined with publicity of the operation, has encouraged defections and surrenders among ISIS fighters. The remarks were made at a conference of African defense chiefs in Luanda, Angola, attended by military leaders from 35 African countries.
Army TimesUS Withdraws Forces from Nigeria After Joint Operation Against ISIS, AFRICOM Chief Says
The United States has withdrawn most of its forces deployed for a joint operation with Nigeria against Islamic State militants in May, which killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS. AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson described the operation in Nigeria's Lake Chad Basin region as a model for future security cooperation in Africa, emphasizing Washington's approach of providing specialized capabilities while allowing African partners to lead. The US continues intelligence sharing at Nigeria's request. Anderson stated the operation significantly degraded ISIS leadership and disrupted communications, extending impact beyond West Africa. Nigerian forces have remained active since the operation, prosecuting targets and encouraging defections among ISIS fighters. The announcement came during a conference of African defense chiefs in Luanda, Angola, attended by military leaders from 35 African countries.
Defense NewsUS Withdraws Forces from Nigeria After Successful Anti-ISIS Operation, AFRICOM Chief Says
The United States has withdrawn most of the forces it deployed for a joint operation with Nigeria in May 2026 against Islamic State militants in the Lake Chad Basin region. The operation killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, ISIS's second-in-command globally, following a Christmas Day US strike ordered by President Trump. AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson, speaking at a defense conference in Luanda, Angola, described the operation as a model for future security cooperation in Africa. The US continues to provide intelligence support at Nigeria's request. Anderson stated that the operation significantly degraded ISIS's leadership and disrupted its communications and operations beyond West Africa. Nigerian forces have since continued prosecuting targets independently, and military pressure combined with publicity efforts have encouraged defections and surrenders among ISIS fighters. The three-day conference in Angola included military leaders from 35 African countries, the US, and Brazil.
Marine Corps TimesUS Withdraws Forces from Nigeria After Joint Anti-ISIS Operation, AFRICOM Chief Calls It a Model
The United States has withdrawn most of its forces deployed for a joint operation with Nigeria against Islamic State militants, following the killing of ISIS second-in-command Abu-Bilal al-Minuki in May. AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson described the operation in Nigeria's Lake Chad Basin as a model for future U.S. security cooperation in Africa, emphasizing Washington's approach of providing specialized capabilities while African partners lead. Anderson stated that intelligence sharing continues at Nigeria's request and that Nigerian forces have been actively prosecuting targets since the operation. The three-day African defense chiefs conference in Luanda, Angola, was attended by military leaders from 35 African countries, the U.S., and Brazil. The operation was preceded by a U.S. Christmas Day strike ordered by President Donald Trump against militants targeting Christians.
Defense NewsUS Withdrew Forces from Nigeria After Joint ISIS Operation, AFRICOM Chief Says
The United States has withdrawn most of the forces it deployed for a May 2026 joint operation with Nigeria against Islamic State militants, which killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS globally. AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson described the operation as a model for future security cooperation in Africa, emphasizing a U.S. approach of providing specialized capabilities while allowing African partners to lead. Speaking at a conference of African defense chiefs in Angola, Anderson stated that intelligence sharing with Nigeria continues at Abuja's request. The operation, conducted in Nigeria's Lake Chad Basin region, followed a Christmas Day U.S. strike ordered by President Donald Trump against militants targeting Christians. Anderson said the operation significantly degraded ISIS leadership, disrupted communications, and encouraged defections among fighters in northeastern Nigeria. The three-day conference in Luanda included military leaders from 35 African countries, the U.S., and Brazil.
Navy TimesUS Withdrew Forces from Nigeria After Joint Operation Against ISIS, AFRICOM Chief Says
The United States has withdrawn most of the forces deployed for a joint operation with Nigeria against Islamic State militants in May, according to AFRICOM Commander General Dagvin Anderson. The operation, conducted in northeastern Nigeria's Lake Chad Basin, killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS. Speaking at an African defense chiefs conference in Angola, Anderson described the operation as a model for future security cooperation in Africa. He stated that the U.S. is now providing intelligence support at Nigeria's request. Anderson noted the operation significantly degraded ISIS leadership and disrupted its communications network. Nigerian forces continue to prosecute targets independently since the operation, and combined military pressure along with publicity efforts have encouraged additional defections and surrenders among ISIS fighters. The conference in Luanda included military leaders from 35 African countries along with U.S. and Brazilian representatives.
Air Force TimesUS Withdraws Forces from Nigeria After Anti-ISIS Operation, AFRICOM Chief Says
The United States has withdrawn most of the forces deployed for a May 2026 joint operation with Nigeria that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS globally, according to AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson. Speaking at a defense chiefs conference in Luanda, Angola, Anderson described the operation in Nigeria's Lake Chad Basin as a model for future security cooperation, emphasizing Washington's approach of providing specialized capabilities while allowing African partners to lead. The US continues intelligence sharing at Nigeria's request. Anderson noted that Nigerian military pressure, combined with publicity of the operation, has led to increased defections and surrenders among ISIS fighters in northeastern Nigeria. The operation followed a Christmas Day 2025 US strike ordered by President Trump. The three-day conference included military leaders from 35 African countries, the US, and Brazil.
Marine Corps TimesUS Withdrew Forces from Nigeria After Joint Operation Against ISIS, AFRICOM Chief Says
The United States has withdrawn most of the forces deployed for a joint operation with Nigeria against Islamic State militants in May 2026, which killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS. AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson described the operation as a model for future security cooperation in Africa, emphasizing Washington's approach of providing specialized capabilities while African partners lead. The US continues intelligence sharing at Nigeria's request. Anderson stated the operation significantly degraded ISIS leadership and disrupted communications, and that Nigerian military pressure has led to increased defections and surrenders among ISIS fighters in northeastern Nigeria. The announcement came during a conference of African defense chiefs in Luanda, Angola, attended by 35 African countries.
Army TimesUS withdrew forces from Nigeria after operation against ISIS, AFRICOM chief says
The United States has withdrawn most forces deployed for a May 2026 joint operation with Nigeria that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS, in northeastern Nigeria. AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson announced the withdrawal at a conference of African defense chiefs in Angola, describing the operation as a model for future security cooperation. The U.S. is continuing intelligence support at Nigeria's request. The operation, which included a Christmas Day strike ordered by President Trump, targeted ISIS militants who had been attacking Christians. Anderson noted that the operation degraded ISIS leadership and communications, and that Nigerian forces have since continued independent operations, leading to increased defections among ISIS fighters. The three-day conference in Luanda was attended by military leaders from 35 African countries, along with U.S. and Brazilian representatives.
Military TimesUS Withdraws Forces from Nigeria After Joint ISIS Operation, AFRICOM Chief Says
The United States has withdrawn most of the forces deployed for a joint operation with Nigeria against Islamic State militants in May 2026, which killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS. AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson described the operation as a model for future security cooperation in Africa, emphasizing the US approach of providing specialized capabilities while African partners lead. The US continues intelligence sharing at Nigeria's request. Anderson noted that Nigerian military pressure and publicity of the operation have encouraged defections among ISIS fighters in northeastern Nigeria. The remarks were made at a conference of African defense chiefs in Luanda, Angola, attended by 35 African countries, the US, and Brazil.
Air Force TimesUS Withdrew Forces from Nigeria After Joint ISIS Operation, AFRICOM Chief Says
AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson announced the withdrawal of most U.S. forces deployed for a joint operation with Nigeria against Islamic State militants in May. The operation killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, ISIS's global second-in-command, in northeastern Nigeria's Lake Chad Basin. Speaking at a defense conference in Angola, Anderson praised the operation as a model for future security cooperation in Africa, emphasizing a U.S. approach of providing specialized capabilities while African partners lead. The U.S. continues intelligence sharing at Nigeria's request. Anderson noted that Nigerian military pressure has led to further ISIS defections and surrenders. The three-day conference in Luanda hosted military leaders from 35 African countries, the U.S., and Brazil.
Army TimesUS Withdrew Forces from Nigeria After Operation Against ISIS, AFRICOM Chief Says
The United States has withdrawn most of its forces deployed for a joint operation with Nigeria against Islamic State militants in May, which killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS. AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson described the operation in Nigeria's Lake Chad Basin as a model for future security cooperation in Africa, emphasizing Washington's approach of providing specialized capabilities while allowing African partners to lead. The US continues intelligence sharing at Nigeria's request. Anderson noted the operation significantly degraded ISIS leadership and disrupted its communications and operations beyond West Africa. Nigerian military pressure and publicity of the operation have encouraged defections and surrenders among ISIS fighters. The remarks came at a conference of African defense chiefs in Luanda, Angola, attended by 35 African countries, the US, and Brazil.
Defense NewsUS withdraws forces from Nigeria after joint operation kills ISIS second-in-command
The United States has withdrawn most forces deployed for a May 2026 joint operation with Nigeria that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS, according to AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson. Speaking at a defense chiefs conference in Luanda, Angola, Anderson described the operation in Nigeria's Lake Chad Basin as a model for future security cooperation, emphasizing Washington's approach of providing specialized capabilities while African partners lead. The US continues intelligence sharing at Nigeria's request. Anderson noted the operation significantly degraded ISIS leadership, disrupted communications, and encouraged defections among fighters in northeastern Nigeria. The operation followed a Christmas Day 2025 US strike against ISIS militants ordered by President Trump. The conference included military leaders from 35 African countries, the US, and Brazil.
Air Force TimesUS withdrew forces from Nigeria after operation against ISIS, AFRICOM chief says
The United States has withdrawn most of its forces deployed for a joint operation with Nigeria against Islamic State militants in May 2026, according to AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson. The operation, conducted in northeastern Nigeria's Lake Chad Basin region, killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS. This followed a Christmas Day strike ordered by President Donald Trump. Anderson described the mission as a model for future security cooperation in Africa, emphasizing Washington's approach of providing specialized capabilities while allowing African partners to lead. The US is now providing intelligence support at Abuja's request. Anderson noted the operation significantly degraded ISIS leadership and disrupted its communications and operations beyond West Africa due to the group's international network. He added that Nigerian military pressure, combined with publicity of the operation, has encouraged defections and surrenders among ISIS fighters. The statements were made at a three-day conference of African defense chiefs in Luanda, Angola, attended by 35 African countries, the US, and Brazil.
Military TimesUS Withdraws Forces from Nigeria After Anti-ISIS Operation, AFRICOM Chief Says
The United States has withdrawn most forces deployed for a joint operation with Nigeria in May 2026 that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS. AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson announced the withdrawal at a conference of African defense chiefs in Angola, describing the operation as a model for future security cooperation. While combat forces have been pulled out, the US continues to provide intelligence support at Nigeria's request. Anderson noted that the operation in the Lake Chad Basin region significantly degraded Islamic State leadership and disrupted its international communications network. Nigerian forces have since maintained military pressure, and combined with publicized operations, have encouraged defections among ISIS fighters in the region. The three-day conference in Luanda included military leaders from 35 African countries plus the US and Brazil.
Navy TimesUS withdraws combat troops from Nigeria after counterterrorism mission
The United States has withdrawn most of the combat troops deployed to Nigeria earlier this year after completing a counterterrorism operation against Islamic State fighters in the Lake Chad Basin. Gen. Dagvin Anderson, head of U.S. Africa Command, confirmed the drawdown at the 2026 African Chiefs of Defense Conference, stating that the campaign disrupted the ISIS network and significantly degraded its leadership. The operation included a joint U.S.-Nigerian raid in May that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS, along with approximately 200 ISIS fighters. The U.S. still maintains over 100 service members in Nigeria for training and advising missions. The drawdown follows months of escalation, including U.S. airstrikes in Nigeria last fall and winter. AFRICOM emphasized that the partnership with Nigeria remains strong and that Nigerian forces continue to prosecute targets independently.
Task & PurposeUS withdraws combat troops from Nigeria after counterterrorism mission
The United States has withdrawn most of the roughly 200 combat troops deployed to Nigeria earlier this year after completing a counterterrorism operation against Islamic State fighters in the Lake Chad Basin. General Dagvin Anderson, head of U.S. Africa Command, confirmed the drawdown at the 2026 African Chiefs of Defense Conference, stating the operation significantly degraded ISIS leadership. A joint U.S.-Nigerian raid in May targeted and killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS, with SEAL Team 6 commandos involved. AFRICOM reported approximately 200 ISIS fighters were killed in the mission. The U.S. maintains over 100 service members in Nigeria for training and advising, and the partnership remains ongoing. The operation included airstrikes and raids in northeastern Nigeria between May 15-18, following earlier U.S. missile strikes in December and a February deployment of 200 troops for training.
Task & PurposeUS withdraws combat troops from Nigeria after counterterrorism mission
The United States has withdrawn most of the combat troops deployed to Nigeria earlier this year following a successful counterterrorism operation against Islamic State (ISIS) fighters in the Lake Chad Basin. Gen. Dagvin Anderson, head of U.S. Africa Command, confirmed the drawdown at the 2026 African Chiefs of Defense Conference, stating that ISIS leadership has been significantly degraded. The operation included a joint U.S.-Nigerian raid in May that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS, along with approximately 200 ISIS fighters through airstrikes and raids between May 15-18. While the combat forces have been withdrawn, the U.S. maintains over 100 service members in Nigeria for a training and advising mission, with AFRICOM stating the partnership remains strong. The drawdown follows a period of escalation, including U.S. missile strikes in December and additional deployments in February. Most U.S. counterterrorism operations against ISIS in Africa continue in Somalia.
Task & Purpose