US and Nigeria Launch Fresh Airstrikes, Kill 20+ ISIS Militants Days After Commander Eliminated

Second major strike in three days

US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and Nigerian forces launched another round of air strikes against ISWAP fighters in northeastern Nigeria on Sunday — killing more than 20 militants just 48 hours after eliminating the group’s second-in-command.

AFRICOM confirmed the strikes Monday in a statement, calling them “additional kinetic” actions carried out in coordination with the Nigerian government. No American or Nigerian personnel were killed or wounded.

“The removal of these terrorists diminishes the group’s capacity to plan and conduct attacks,” the command said.

What comes after Mainok

Sunday’s operation followed a May 16 joint strike that killed Abubakar Mainok — also known as Abu-Bilal al-Minuki — the top ISIS commander operating in West Africa. Officials had already called that strike a major blow to the group’s regional structure. The follow-up two days later suggests the US and Nigeria are working from a broader target list, not just responding to the Mainok intelligence.

ISWAP has waged a brutal insurgency in northeastern Nigeria for years, killing thousands and displacing millions across the Lake Chad basin — an area spanning Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Sunday’s strikes hit additional ISIL positions following the gains made in the Mainok operation, Al Jazeera reported, though the exact locations within northeastern Nigeria have not been disclosed.

A more visible US role

AFRICOM has long provided training, intelligence, and logistics to Nigerian forces. But the back-to-back public confirmations of direct kinetic strikes alongside the Nigerian military are a step beyond what has typically been acknowledged. Two confirmed strikes in three days, targeting named senior commanders, points to a structured campaign — not opportunistic hits.

President Tinubu’s administration has not released a formal statement on the May 18 strikes. The Lake Chad Basin remains one of the most active conflict zones on the continent, and with Mainok gone, the question now is who steps into the vacuum — and how fast.

Sources: Al Jazeera, The Hill, The Independent