WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Saturday said American and Nigerian forces had killed Abu Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of ISIS globally, during a joint counterterrorism operation in northeastern Nigeria.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said US and Nigerian forces had carried out a “meticulously planned and very complex mission” to eliminate what he called “the most active terrorist in the world”.
“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,” Trump said.
He thanked the Nigerian government for its cooperation in the operation and said the killing had dealt a major blow to ISIS’s global operations.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 16, 2026
Nigeria confirms operation
Meanwhile, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed the operation, describing it as a successful example of growing security cooperation between Abuja and Washington.
“Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States, conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State,” Tinubu said in a statement.
According to Nigerian authorities, al-Minuki and several of his lieutenants were killed in a strike on a compound in the Lake Chad Basin, a region spanning parts of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
The Nigerian military said the operation followed months of intelligence gathering and reconnaissance and was conducted without casualties among Nigerian or US personnel.
Senior ISIS figure
The US State Department designated al-Minuki a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2023, identifying him as a senior ISIS leader based in the Sahel region and a member of the group’s General Directorate of Provinces, which oversees operations and funding networks worldwide.
Nigerian military officials said al-Minuki had recently been promoted to head ISIS’s “General Directorate of States”, making him one of the organisation’s most senior global figures.
Officials said he had overseen ISIS-linked operations across West Africa and the Sahel, including attacks targeting civilians and minority communities.
Trump said al-Minuki’s death would disrupt ISIS command structures and funding networks and prevent further attacks targeting Africans and Americans.
Nigeria and the United States have expanded military cooperation in recent years as Abuja intensifies efforts to contain a long-running insurgency.
