The United States has withdrawn most of the forces it deployed for a recent operation against Islamic State in Nigeria. The withdrawal follows joint military operations conducted by U.S. and Nigerian forces in northeastern Nigeria in May 2026, which resulted in the death of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, identified as the global second-in-command of ISIS.

Despite the troop withdrawal, the United States continues to provide intelligence support in Nigeria at the request of the Nigerian government in Abuja. General Dagvin Anderson, Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), confirmed the continued partnership while addressing a conference of African defense chiefs in Luanda, Angola, on July 2, 2026.

"We have withdrawn much of our forces that were just there for that operation, but are continuing the partnership that Nigeria has asked for to help continue with the intelligence sharing," Anderson said. He described the May joint U.S.-Nigerian operation as a model for future security cooperation in Africa. Anderson stated that the operation demonstrated Washington's approach of providing specialized capabilities while allowing African partners to lead security operations.

The May operation took place in Nigeria's Lake Chad Basin region. Anderson stated that cooperation with Nigeria had helped significantly degrade Islamic State's leadership. He noted that the impact of the operation extended beyond West Africa because of the terrorist group's international network, disrupting local commanders and broader Islamic State communications and operations.

"Nigeria has been very active since that operation in May. They continue to prosecute targets themselves," Anderson said. He added that Nigerian military pressure and efforts to publicize the operation had encouraged additional defections and surrenders among ISIS fighters in northeastern Nigeria.

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a strike against Islamic State targets in Nigeria on December 25, 2025. Trump stated on Truth Social that the targeted group had been targeting Christians in Nigeria. The three-day conference in Luanda was attended by military leaders from 35 African countries, including representatives from the U.S. and Brazil.