Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Nigerian military, in coordination with the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), has killed 21 suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in a precision airstrike on a terrorist enclave in Arege, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. The operation, carried out on Saturday, May 30, 2026, followed days of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions that confirmed the presence of ISWAP members in the area, according to multiple military sources cited by counter‑insurgency expert Zagazola Makama. The strike targeted a camp allegedly used by the insurgents to plan and coordinate attacks across the Lake Chad region, a vast and lawless basin that touches Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
The joint air operation, executed under Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), resulted in the elimination of 21 terrorists and caused significant disruption to the group’s operational capabilities, security sources told Zagazola Makama. “The precision engagement resulted in the elimination of 21 terrorists and caused significant disruption to the operational capabilities of the criminal elements,” Makama reported, quoting military sources. The camp in Arege was being used by ISWAP to coordinate hostile activities across the Lake Chad region, making it a strategic target. The strike was described as “intelligence‑driven” and “carefully executed” to achieve maximum operational effect against the terrorists.
The Arege strike is the latest in a series of joint US‑Nigeria air operations that have intensified since the killing of Abu‑Bilal al‑Minuki, described by both the Trump and Tinubu administrations as the second‑in‑command of the Islamic State globally, on May 15, 2026. Since then, AFRICOM has conducted multiple rounds of airstrikes, with operations recorded on May 16, 17, 18 and now May 30. In each instance, AFRICOM has stated that intelligence verified the targets as ISIS or ISWAP militants and that no American or Nigerian personnel were harmed. The sustained campaign follows the elimination of more than 20 ISIS/ISWAP fighters in a series of joint airstrikes in Metele, Borno State, earlier in May, and the killing of at least 175 militants in a broader Nigeria‑US operation that also destroyed weapons, checkpoints and financial networks across the region.
The military described the mission as part of ongoing security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States aimed at dismantling terrorist networks, destroying insurgent hideouts and limiting the operational capacity of armed groups in the North‑East. “The operation forms part of sustained US‑Nigeria coordinated efforts to degrade terrorist networks, destroy their sanctuaries and deny them freedom of action across the North‑East theatre,” sources told Zagazola Makama. The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has not issued an official statement specifically on the Arege strike, but earlier statements have confirmed the joint campaign and described it as a coordinated effort to flush out insurgents from their strongholds.
Military authorities noted that the successful mission illustrates the growing synergy between Nigerian security forces and international partners in combating terrorism and enhancing regional security. The operation is also expected to further weaken insurgent activities around the Lake Chad Basin, where remnants of terrorist groups continue to attempt regrouping and launching attacks on isolated farming and fishing communities. The strikes have also targeted logistics hubs and command structures, with security analysts reporting that senior ISWAP commanders are now reluctant to assume leadership positions after the death of al‑Minuki, fearing that they too have been placed under surveillance.
The Arege strike came just 24 hours after a separate joint airstrike in the Metele general area of Borno State, where more than 20 ISIS/ISWAP fighters were killed. The Defence Headquarters described that earlier operation as a continuation of coordinated efforts “following observed convergence and migration of terrorist elements”. By May 19, Nigerian authorities stated that 175 ISWAP and Boko Haram militants had been killed since the beginning of the joint offensive, which has combined special forces raids with multiple rounds of airstrikes.
The intensified aerial campaign has drawn praise from civil society groups in the North‑East, who have long called for more aggressive action against insurgent strongholds. However, some analysts have warned that airstrikes alone cannot defeat the insurgency, and that sustained ground operations and post‑conflict stabilisation efforts are equally critical. The military has assured the public that offensive operations would continue without let‑up. “There will be no safe haven for all terrorists anywhere in Nigeria,” the military said in a statement earlier this month.
As of Monday, June 1, 2026, the Nigerian Army and Air Force continue to maintain a heightened state of alert in the Lake Chad basin, while AFRICOM has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Nigeria’s counter‑terrorism efforts. No civilian casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure have been reported in connection with the Arege strike. The operation, however, comes as the Federal Government faces mounting criticism over its handling of a separate mass abduction of 46 pupils and teachers from schools in Oyo State, a crisis that has entered its third week with no resolution. For the people of Borno, who have endured 17 years of insurgency, the news of another successful airstrike offers a rare moment of relief – even as they know that the war is far from over.
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