Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said the operation showed “effective collaboration” between the two countries in the fight against terrorism.
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.
