US, Nigerian forces kill senior ISIS leader in joint operation

US President Donald Trump announced that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of the Islamic State globally, was killed in a joint operation in the Lake Chad region involving US and Nigerian forces.

In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said the “meticulously planned and very complex mission” was carried out under his direction and targeted what he called “the most active terrorist in the world.”

“Brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield,” Trump said, adding that al-Minuki had been tracked through intelligence sources before being located in Africa.

Trump did not disclose the exact location of the operation.

The White House did not immediately release additional operational details, while Nigerian authorities later confirmed the joint operation and the killing of the ISIS-linked figure.

In a statement, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu said the operation inflicted a significant blow to Islamic State networks operating in West Africa.

“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.

According to Nigeria’s defence authorities, al-Minuki was a senior ISIS leader and a key operational figure involved in coordinating external networks, including media operations, financing, and the development of weapons and explosive systems.

The military said his death dismantles “a critical node” in the Islamic State’s global coordination structure.

Al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, had previously been designated a “specially designated global terrorist” in 2023, according to the US Federal Register.

While Trump has previously accused Nigeria of failing to confront Islamist militant groups, Nigerian authorities maintain that their counterterrorism operations target all armed groups responsible for violence against civilians, regardless of religious affiliation.

The United States has, in recent months, increased its security cooperation with Nigeria, including drone surveillance, intelligence sharing and training support, as extremist networks linked to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda expand across parts of West Africa.