The United States launched airstrikes targeting Islamic State fighters in Nigeria, just days after a joint ground raid by American and Nigerian forces killed one of the group’s highest-ranking leaders.
At least 20 fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP, Nigeria’s most powerful terrorist group, which is affiliated with the Islamic State, were killed, a spokesman for Nigerian armed forces, Gen. Samaila Uba said in a statement on Monday.
“Intelligence confirmed the targets were ISIS militants,” the U.S. Africa Command said in a statement on Monday, adding that no American or Nigerian forces were harmed.
Last Friday, President Trump said that a joint U.S.-Nigerian commando raid, including members of the Navy’s SEAL team 6, killed Abu Bilal al-Munuki. Officials from both countries said he was the de facto leader of the Islamic State’s global operations.
The latest airstrikes, which were coordinated with Nigeria, began on Sunday and extended into Monday morning. They used U.S. Special Operations MQ-9 drones and AC-130 gunships, according to two U.S. officials.
The U.S. military estimates that the recent military actions have killed about 140 militants combined.
The New York Times could not immediately verify whether civilians were among the dead in these strikes, though previous airstrikes by Nigerian forces have killed hundreds of civilians, human rights groups and residents have said. The U.S. has denied involvement in those attacks.
The airstrikes targeted areas in Metele, a town in the northeast of the country, the Nigerian military said. Since 2014, much of the area has been under the control of jihadist groups, including ISWAP and Boko Haram, and a large proportion of its population has been displaced as a result.
In February, a U.S. official said that the Pentagon would deploy about 200 troops to Nigeria to help its forces with training and technical expertise following a joint military attack on Christmas Day. American and Nigerian officials had said the American forces that were sent this year would not be involved in combat operations.
The strikes on Sunday and Monday targeted remnants of Islamic State camps on two small islands in Lake Chad, said the U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters.
Gen. Uba said such joint strikes would continue as “part of sustained efforts to disrupt terrorist networks, remove them from the battlefield and deny the terrorists any safe haven within Nigeria.
Ismail Alfa contributed reporting from Maiduguri, Nigeria