Joint military operations killed at least 20 jihadists in northeastern Nigeria on Sunday, authorities said Monday.
1:33 PM
The United States military's Africa Command (AFRICOM) and Nigerian forces conducted air strikes against ISIL fighters in northeastern Nigeria's Borno State on Sunday, according to statements released Monday.
AFRICOM said the "additional kinetic" strikes were carried out in coordination with the Nigerian government. The command stated that no US or Nigerian forces were harmed during the operations.
According to the Nigerian military, at least 20 jihadists were killed in the weekend strikes. AFRICOM said the strikes targeted ISIL operatives in the region.
In a statement, AFRICOM said the removal of the militants "diminishes the group's capacity to plan attacks that threaten the safety and security of the US and our partners."
The latest operations followed another joint strike between the two militaries that killed Abu Bakr al-Mainuki, described by Nigeria's military as the deputy leader of ISIL's local West African "province" and the world's "most active terrorist." Nigeria's military characterized the killing of al-Mainuki as the first successful targeting of a senior militant leader by Nigeria's security forces after more than a decade of insurgency by armed groups in the north, including Boko Haram.
Nigeria's security forces have faced a prolonged struggle to contain militant insurgency in the northern region over more than a decade, alongside attacks by criminal gangs.
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