WASHINGTON, D.C., United States: United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 that a joint military operation with Nigeria successfully eliminated a senior global Islamic State leader.
Okay News reports that Marco Rubio disclosed the security collaboration during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill regarding the fiscal year 2027 budget for the State Department. He stated that concerns over violence against Christian communities prompted the increased security engagement between the two nations.
“On Nigeria, where many were very concerned about violence against Christians, we are now actively cooperating in counterterrorism with the Nigerian government and Nigerian security forces,” Rubio said.
The collaborative counterterrorism efforts resulted in a direct strike against the leadership of the extremist network.
He explained that the partnership included “a joint operation a couple of weeks ago that took out the number two leader of global ISIS, operating from inside of the country, and that continues.”
Security forces in the region continue to confront ongoing threats from extremist networks, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, which operate across the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel.
