Nigeria, June 4 -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says America is now actively conducting counter-terrorism operations in Nigeria in collaboration with the Nigerian government.

He made this comment on Tuesday while testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the State Department's Fiscal Year 2027 budget request.

As part of the successful joint operations carried out in the past months, Mr Rubio cited the elimination of Abubakar Mainok, also known as Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, a top Islamic State commander.

He said, "We are now actively in counterterrorism cooperation with the Nigerian government and Nigerian security forces."

This operation, he noted, is in response to the concerns about "violence against Christians" in ...