Rubio Confirms US, Nigeria Team Up Against ISIS

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has disclosed that Washington is actively collaborating with the Nigerian government and its security agencies in ongoing counterterrorism efforts aimed at combating terrorist groups operating within the country.

Speaking on Wednesday during a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington, D.C., on the State Department’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal, Rubio acknowledged concerns within the United States regarding persistent violence against Christians in Nigeria.

According to reports monitored by Ireporter Online, Rubio stated that the United States has strengthened its security partnership with Nigeria through active counterterrorism operations, including recent joint missions targeting key terrorist figures.

The US Secretary of State revealed that a joint operation conducted several weeks ago resulted in the elimination of the second-highest-ranking leader of the global Islamic State (ISIS) network who was operating from within Nigeria. He noted that cooperation between both countries remains ongoing.

The terrorist leader, identified as Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, was reportedly killed during a coordinated US-Nigerian military operation carried out on May 15 in the Lake Chad Basin. The mission targeted his hideout and was described as a significant blow to extremist activities in the region.

Further details indicate that US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described Al-Minuki as a key figure behind several attacks against Christians in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu also confirmed the terrorist commander’s death, stating that several of his associates were neutralized during the operation.

President Tinubu welcomed the development and expressed optimism that additional military offensives would further dismantle terrorist strongholds across the country.

Reports suggest that following Al-Minuki’s death, Nigerian and American forces have intensified joint operations against terrorist elements. The Defence Headquarters recently announced that more than 20 ISIS/ISWAP fighters were killed during coordinated airstrikes in Metele, Borno State.

In another operation carried out on June 1, the Nigerian military, working alongside the United States Africa Command, reportedly eliminated 21 ISWAP fighters during an airstrike in Arege, located in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, underscoring the continued efforts by both nations to weaken terrorist networks in the region.