U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander of U.S. Africa Command, speaks at the African Chiefs of Defense Conference in Luanda, Angola, on June 29, 2026. (Jason Johnston/U.S. Africa Command)
The U.S. has withdrawn most of the troops that were sent to Nigeria earlier this year to help root out Islamic State insurgents, according to the head of U.S. Africa Command, as the military pivots toward what it describes as an African-led model for security cooperation.
In May, the U.S. carried out a series of strikes against the Islamic State in partnership with Nigerian forces, including an operation that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the director of global operations for ISIS, along with other senior leaders.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 2026 African Chiefs of Defense Conference in Angola on Thursday, AFRICOM commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson said most of those service members have now left, but U.S. forces will continue sharing resources at the request of Nigerian officials.
“We have withdrawn much of our forces that were just there for that operation, but are continuing the partnership that Nigeria has asked for to help continue with the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 and the understanding that’s necessary to be able to prosecute these difficult tasks,” Anderson said.
The move fits into the AFRICOM chief’s long-term vision for security cooperation in Africa — one in which African partners take the lead in addressing threats like ISIS, he said. The U.S. has also coordinated with Somalia’s government, helping to conduct a flurry of attacks against another Islamic militant group, al-Shabab, including several last month.
Long-term, the path to stability will be African-led, Anderson said.
“Nigeria’s a very capable and large country — it’s got a strong economy; it’s got a large, educated population; it’s got a very capable military,” Anderson said.
Nigeria has long struggled with insurgencies and unrest, especially in its northern region. Various Islamic militant groups, including ISIS and Boko Haram, have carried out attacks that have killed both Christians and Muslims.
The targeting of Christians recently drew the attention of President Donald Trump, who launched Christmas Day strikes against the militants late last year.
In February, Trump ordered about 200 service members to the West African nation to further the fight.
“I have previously warned these terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was,” he said in a statement after the Christmas Day strikes.
Anderson said the U.S. partnership with Nigerian authorities has significantly degraded ISIS leadership in the country and around the world.
Moving forward, he said, the U.S. will work to find sustainable ways to enable African partners to become more effective, particularly when it comes to sharing intelligence.
“That’s what we’re looking at, is where those areas that have the greatest return that allow this type of momentum to build to enable partners to then address these threats themselves,” he said.
