ABUJA, May 19 (Xinhua) -- A total of 175 Islamic State fighters and top commanders have been killed by Nigerian troops and U.S. forces in recent combined counterterrorism operations in the northeastern part of Nigeria, the military said Tuesday.
In a statement, military spokesman Samaila Uba said the coordinated air and ground strikes, which commenced over the weekend, had delivered a major blow to the terrorist group's operational capacity, destroying multiple IS checkpoints, weapons caches, logistics hubs, military equipment and financial networks sustaining their activities.
Uba said several high-profile IS commanders were among those killed, including Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the group's second-in-command globally.
According to him, al-Minuki played a central role in IS external operations, including coordination of terrorist financing, recruitment, logistics and attack planning targeting civilians. His elimination is expected to severely disrupt the terrorist group's command structure, operational coordination and external attack networks, Uba explained.
He identified other key terrorist figures killed during the operations, including Abd-al Wahhab, described as a senior leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province responsible for coordinating attacks and propaganda; Abu Musa al-Mangawi, another senior member; and Abu al-Muthanna al-Muhajir, a senior media production operative.
The military spokesman said the successes further underscored the sustained efforts of the armed forces of Nigeria in tracking and eliminating terrorist elements across the country, adding that the joint operations would be continued to dismantle all terrorist networks threatening national and regional security.
The recent operations were conducted under a recently established counter-terrorism and intelligence-sharing partnership between Nigeria and the United States aimed at dismantling terrorist networks operating in the region. Enditem
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