Nigeria-US Joint Airstrike Kills 21 ISWAP Fighters in Arege, Borno

A precision Nigeria-US joint airstrike killed 21 ISWAP fighters — including three mid-level commanders — at a concealed staging area in Arege, Kukawa LGA, Borno State on May 30. The operation was coordinated using US AFRICOM satellite imagery and signals intelligence gathered in the two weeks following the May 16–18 joint raids that killed ISIS global leadership figure Abu-Bilal al-Minuki and approximately 175 militants. The May 30 strike targeted a key ISWAP logistics corridor linking Nigeria, Niger, and Chad, aiming to disrupt the group's northeastern supply and command network. Nigerian Air Force assets executed the strike in coordination with AFRICOM. The operation forms part of the continuing Nigeria-US counterterrorism partnership established in early May 2026.