Northern Nigeria is facing an ascendant ISIS insurgency, drawing Washington into the fray.

Since the jihadist insurgency in northern Nigeria began 17 years ago, the conflict has drastically changed in scope, amid concerted counterterrorism efforts from the Nigerian government, countless jihadist ideological splits, and international interventions. The 2020s began with ISIS and other terrorist groups in retreat, but a change in tactics and fortunes has sent them back on the offensive in the last couple of years, turning the country into one of the foremost fronts in the Global War on Terror.