Nigerian military kills 11 militants, including top Boko Haram commander
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Nigeria Kills Boko Haram Commander, Ten Militants in Raid
Is Nigeria finally dismantling Boko Haram with U.S. support or masking a deeper security failure with battlefield wins?
Above: A Nigerian soldier from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in Monguno on July 5, 2025. Image credit: Joris Bolomey/AFP/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-government narrative
The killing of a senior Boko Haram commander highlights Nigeria’s growing success in dismantling terrorist networks through coordinated military operations. Recent strikes eliminated key figures — including the group’s second-in-command Abu Khalid — and saw major weapons caches be seized. Backed by U.S. intelligence and air support, sustained pressure is forcing fighters to flee across borders, ending years of impunity and restoring state control in contested areas.
Government-critical narrative
Nigeria’s military touts the killing of a senior Boko Haram commander as progress, but such claims have become a ritual masking state failure. The crisis is not religious: over 40,000 have been killed, mostly Muslims attacked in mosques, and 3.5 million displaced by insurgency, banditry and communal violence. Framing the crisis through simplified narratives obscures Abuja’s failure to address economic collapse, climate stress and governance breakdown.
Metaculus Prediction
There is a 70% chance that the United States will launch another strike against the Islamic State in Nigeria before Christmas 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Public Figures
Establishment split
CRITICAL
PRO
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 6.18.0