The United States has withdrawn most of its troops from Nigeria following the successful May operation that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, ISIS’ second-in-command in the Lake Chad Basin, while maintaining intelligence-sharing support with Nigerian security forces.

Speaking at the 2026 African Chiefs of Defence Conference in Luanda, Angola, AFRICOM Commander Dagvin Anderson said the temporary deployment had achieved its objective and praised Nigeria’s military capabilities. He added that the partnership between both countries would continue through intelligence cooperation to support ongoing counterterrorism efforts.

Anderson said the operation significantly weakened ISIS’ leadership and global network, noting that Nigeria has remained active in targeting terrorist groups since the mission.