American Commando Raid and Airstrikes on ISIS in Nigeria

On May 16 and 17, 2026, U.S. and Nigerian forces conducted several joint missions against Islamic guerrillas in northern Nigeria. Nearly 175 Islamist fighters allegedly were killed, along with several ISIS leaders.

U.S. officials claimed that Abu Bilal al-Minuki was killed in a Special Forces helicopter attack by two dozen Nigerian and American commandos. This force included members of the U.S. Navy SEAL Team 6. The commandos attacked the ISIS leader and three dozen of his fighters on two small islands in Lake Chad. Lake Chad borders Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon. This area, in all four nations, is a hotbed of Islamist guerrilla activity.

According to reports, heavy combat between the allied special forces and the guerrillas lasted nearly three hours. While the U.S. military goal was to capture al-Minuki; he was killed via an airstrike rather than risk letting him escape. The combined American and Nigerian military force reportedly suffered no casualties.

Nigeria officially denies that any U.S. troops were on the ground in this battle, but that statement is likely untrue, since the presence of foreign troops is a controversial topic in Nigeria.

Nigeria Map

The following day, on the 17th, the U.S. military carried out more airstrikes on ISIS targets in northern Nigeria. American intervention in Nigeria began in earnest with the Christmas Day, 2025 airstrikes against militants in northern Nigeria. Following that event, about 200 American military personnel began working in Nigeria to help train the local troops, and, it now appears, to fight alongside them on the ground and in the air.