Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said U.S. forces have killed “hundreds” of Islamic State militants in Nigeria, crediting President Donald Trump’s directive to protect Christians in the country from Islamist violence. During a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday, Hegseth said Trump charged the military with taking steps to protect Nigerian Christians roughly a year ago after learning of their targeting by the Islamic State terror group. Building the partnerships necessary to carry out such a mission took time, the secretary said, but the president remained persistent, and the right assets were eventually put in place.
“And over the last month, and there hasn’t been much coverage of this, we killed ISIS No. 2 in Nigeria, who is most responsible for killing Christians and trying to target the U.S. homeland, and have since because of the intel we gathered, killed hundreds of ISIS members who were targeting and killing Christians in Nigeria, creating a whole new opportunity there,” he said. The most significant action came on May 16, when U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) announced that U.S. forces had conducted an operation against Islamic State (also known as ISIS or IS) elements in northeastern Nigeria. AFRICOM’s initial assessment found that Abu-Bilal al-Minuk, whom Hegseth identified as the group’s No. 2 commander and director of global operations, had been killed along with other senior Islamic State leaders. No U.S. service members were harmed. AFRICOM commander Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson said the operation was made possible through U.S.-Nigeria cooperation over recent months.
“Make no mistake, our two nations will relentlessly pursue and neutralize terrorist threats and are committed to protecting our people and interests,” Anderson said. Africa Command, in coordination with the Nigerian government, conducted additional strikes against Islamic State targets in Northeastern Nigeria on May 17 and 18.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and take immediate retirement, sources familiar with the decision told CBS News. One of the sources said Hegseth wants someone in the role who will implement President Trump and Hegseth’s vision for the Army. Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement that George “will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately. The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement.”
A senior Defense Department official told CBS News, “We are grateful for his service, but it was time for a leadership change in the Army.” George previously served as the senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin from 2021 to 2022, during the Biden administration, after decades of service. A career infantry officer and West Point graduate, George first served in the first Gulf War and the more recent conflicts of Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army chief of staff typically serves a four-year term. George was nominated for the position by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2023, meaning he would typically have held the position until 2027.
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Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., sided with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on lifting the suspension of the flight crew involved in a helicopter flyover at Kid Rock’s Nashville mansion over the weekend and said he didn’t want to see the pilots punished. “Thank you Kid Rock,” Hegseth posted on X Tuesday afternoon. “US Army pilots suspension lifted. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots.” The U.S. Army aircrew was previously suspended from flight duties pending an investigation into Saturday’s helicopter stunt.
FEDERAL JUDGE GRILLS DOJ LAWYERS OVER CENSURE OF DEMOCRATIC SENATOR MS NOW host Willie Geist asked Kelly, a veteran Navy pilot, to react to the move by Hegseth on Wednesday’s “Morning Joe.” “I’m not a Kid Rock fan. You know, I — at the same time, I mean, I don’t see why we would, you know, punish these guys,” Kelly said. “Some, you know, young pilots in — whether it’s an Apache or there were times, you know, I did stuff in airplanes that probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do.”
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