United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has said Washington is actively cooperating with the Nigerian government and security forces in counterterrorism operations.
Rubio spoke on Wednesday in Washington, DC, during a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the State Department’s FY27 budget request.
The US official said there was widespread concern in America about violence against Christians in Nigeria.
According to him, the US is now involved in active counterterrorism cooperation with Nigerian authorities.
“We are now actively in counterterrorism cooperation with the Nigerian government and Nigerian security forces, including a joint operation a couple of weeks ago that took out the number two leader of global ISIS operating from inside of the country, and that continues,” Rubio said.
Rubio was referring to the killing of Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of ISIS, during a joint US-Nigerian operation on May 15.
The operation targeted his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.
US Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, said Al-Minuki was most responsible for attacks on Christians in Nigeria.
President Bola Tinubu had confirmed Al-Minuki’s death, saying several of his lieutenants were also killed during the mission.
Tinubu also said he looked forward to more decisive strikes against terrorist enclaves.
Since Al-Minuki’s death, more joint operations have reportedly targeted terrorist positions in Nigeria.
Days after the operation, the Defence Headquarters said more than 20 ISIS/ISWAP fighters were killed in multiple US-Nigerian airstrikes in Metele, Borno State.
On June 1, the Nigerian military, working with the United States Africa Command, was also reported to have killed 21 ISWAP fighters in an airstrike in Arege, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.
