President Donald Trump announced that United States and Nigerian forces killed a senior Islamic State leader during a joint military operation in northeastern Nigeria.
According to Trump, the operation targeted Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, identified as the second-in-command of ISIS globally, in the Lake Chad Basin region. The president said the mission was “meticulously planned and very complex” and declared that the terrorist organization’s global operations had been “greatly diminished” following al-Minuki’s death.
In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing.” He added, “He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans.”
Trump also commended the Nigerian government for cooperating in the counterterrorism effort.
Nigeria’s presidential office later confirmed the operation, stating that preliminary assessments verified al-Minuki had been killed. Officials also reported that several of his close associates and lieutenants died during the raid.
Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, described al-Minuki as a major figure within the Islamic State network.
“Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was a key ISIS operational and strategic figure who provided guidance to ISIS entities outside Nigeria on matters relating to media operations, economic warfare and the development and manufacturing of weapons, explosives and drones,” Onanuga said in a statement.
He further stated, “His death removes a critical node through which ISIS coordinated and directed operations across different regions of the world.”
Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, spokesman for Nigeria’s armed forces, said al-Minuki, who was born in Nigeria in 1982, was also involved in fundraising operations for the terrorist organization.
The U.S. State Department formally designated al-Minuki as a leader of Islamic State operations in Africa’s Sahel region in 2023. Later that year, the Treasury Department placed him on its specially designated global terrorist list and imposed sanctions against him.
Officials also traced al-Minuki’s origins to the Boko Haram terror movement, which has been responsible for numerous kidnappings and attacks throughout the region. According to The Wall Street Journal, he was connected to the 2018 abduction of more than 100 schoolgirls in Nigeria’s Yobe State.
