Nigeria says joint US strikes kill 175 ISIL fighters in country’s northeast

Key points

• Nigerian Army lauds joint US operation as part of ongoing military campaign to ‘hunt down and kill terrorists anywhere’.
• Nigerian forces working with the United ⁠States claim to have ⁠killed 175 ISIL (ISIS) fighters in a series of joint strikes in ⁠the country’s northeast in recent days.
• The Nigerian Defence Headquarters said on Tuesday that operations conducted with the US military’s ⁠Africa Command (AFRICOM) destroyed checkpoints, weapons caches, logistics hubs, military equipment and financing networks used by ISIL and the ISIL affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP), which has led a years-long struggle in the region.
• “As of 19 May 2026, assessments ⁠indicate that 175 ISIS terrorists have ⁠been eliminated from the battlefield,” Nigerian Defence Headquarters spokesperson Major-General Samaila Uba said in a statement.
• “The joint strikes have further reinforced what the Armed Forces of Nigeria have consistently done over the years – hunt down and kill terrorists anywhere they...