Abd-al Wahhab, a senior leader of the group responsible for coordinating attacks and distributing propaganda, was among those “eliminated from the battlefield,” officials say
A joint operation by Nigerian and US forces has killed at least 175 Islamic State militants, including senior commanders, in the northeast of the West African nation, the authorities have said.
Nigeria’s military said on Tuesday that the strikes were conducted over several days against Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters, destroying weapons, checkpoints, and financial networks across the region. US Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the operation and said no American or Nigerian troops were harmed.
“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 said in a statement.
Nigerian military spokesman Samaila Uba said one of the senior leaders of ISWAP “eliminated from the battlefield” was Abd-al Wahhab, who was responsible for “coordinating attacks and distributing propaganda.” ISWAP senior member Abu Musa al-Mangawi, and Abu al-Muthanna al-Muhajir, who leads the group’s media production team, were also killed, according to Uba.
The latest strikes come days after Abuja and Washington announced that a joint military operation in the Lake Chad Basin killed senior Islamic State commander Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, who US President Donald Trump described as the group’s global second-in-command.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said the operation showed “effective collaboration” between the two countries in the fight against terrorism.
Nigeria’s northeast has been the center of a long-running insurgency by Boko Haram and ISWAP, which have targeted military bases, villages, schools, and transport routes. The country has also seen a surge in mass kidnappings and deadly raids in recent months, despite increased security measures, including a state of emergency declared by the government.
Washington increased military cooperation with Abuja after a diplomatic row over Trump’s claims that Christians were being killed in large numbers in Africa’s most populous country. Nigeria denied allegations of a “Christian genocide,” saying armed groups target people of all faiths, while Trump said he was considering military options, including airstrikes, to stop the alleged killings.
The Trump administration sent troops to Nigeria in February in what was described as an advisory and training role, though the recent operations indicate a more active role. AFRICOM commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson told a congressional hearing on Tuesday that Nigeria played a pivotal role in developing targets, intelligence, and operational support for the operation.
