U.S. and Nigerian forces kill Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, Islamic State’s reported second-in-command

U.S. and Nigerian forces struck ISIS targets in Nigeria days after President Trump announced the killing of global ISIS leader Abu-Bilal al-Minuki.

On May 16, a senior IS figure was killed in a strike led by Nigerian and US forces as part of a joint operation to target jihadists of the group in the northeast of Nigeria. But although al-Minuki was a prominent figure of the IS group, he wasn't the second-in-command of IS worldwide, as US President Donald Trump claimed at the time of his killing. FRANCE 24's Wassim Nasr tells us more about who he was, and what his death means for Nigeria.

LAGOS — A senior Islamic State group leader, described as “the most active terrorist in the world”, has been killed in a joint operation by US and Nigerian forces in the west African country, the two countries’ presidents said. Under US sanctions since 2023, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was the second-in-command of IS worldwide, according to US President Donald Trump and the two militaries. The killing comes as IS activity is increasingly concentrated in Africa. It hit a record high of 86 percent in the first quarter of 2026, up from 49 percent in all of 2024, according to a report by global conflict […]...Keep on reading: Trump, Nigeria claim killing of IS second-in-command

LAGOS, Nigeria (AFP)—A senior Islamic State group leader, described as "the most active terrorist in the world", has been killed in a joint operation by US and Nigerian forces in the west African country, the two countries' presidents said. Under US sanctions since 2023, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was the second-in-command of IS worldwide, according to US President Donald Trump and the two militaries. The killing comes as IS activity is increasingly concentrated in Africa. It hit a record high of 86 percent in the first quarter of 2026, up from 49 percent in all of 2024, according to a report by global conflict monitor ACLED released this week. Trump said in a post on Truth Social announcing the killing, that "at my direction, 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". Nigeria's defence forces said al-Minuki was "one of the world's most active terrorists". As director of global operations for IS, al-Minuki provided strategic guidance on media and financial operations and "the development and manufacturing of weapons, explosives and drones", according to the Nigerian military and US Africa Command (AFRICOM). "Al-Minuki was the most active terrorist in the world and has a significant history of involvement in planning attacks and directing hostage taking," said AFRICOM. "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," Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu said, confirming the killing. Tinubu said al-Minuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, was slain along with his lieutenants, "on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin", a restive region straddling Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. The operation was "a meticulously planned and highly complex precision air-land operation" carried out Saturday from just after midnight through 4:00 am (2300 and 0300 GMT), the Nigerian army said. Military spokesman Sani Uba said al-Minuki had established a "concealed and fortified enclave" at a remote village in the Borno State in the northeast, the epicentre of a 17-year armed insurgency. - 'Critical node' - Al-Minuki's death removes a "critical node through which ISIS coordinated and directed operations across different regions of the world", said the Nigerian military. Nigeria has long been battling jihadist insurgents, including Boko Haram and regional offshoots of the IS organisation, primarily the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Since late 2025, Nigeria has been under pressure from the United States, which has accused it of not doing enough to combat the Islamist militant threat. On Christmas Day, the United States, in collaboration with Nigerian authorities, carried out airstrikes in northwestern Sokoto State targeting fighters from the IS in the Sahel group, usually active in neighbouring Niger. Washington has since deployed hundreds of troops to Nigeria to support and train its forces. Tinubu thanked Trump for his "leadership and unwavering support", as he looked "forward to more decisive strikes against all terrorist enclaves across the nation". No soldiers or assets were reported lost during the operation. - 'Thought he could hide' - Al-Minuki oversaw IS-linked operations across the Sahel and west Africa, including attacks against "ethnic and religious minority communities", the Nigerian military said. Previously a senior member of Boko Haram, which has been waging an Islamist insurgency in the region since 2009, he was linked to the 2018 Dapchi kidnapping of more than 100 schoolgirls in northeastern Yobe state. Between March 2015 and early 2016, he also facilitated the movement of fighters to Libya to support IS operations in north Africa, the army said. Trump said al-Minuki "thought he could hide in Africa". The Nigerian presidency stressed the slain militant was al-Minuki, after local media raised questions. They noted that the military had already, in 2024, announced the killing of a jihadist leader with a similar name. Security officials say the "earlier listing was a case of mistaken identity or misattribution in the fog of sustained counterinsurgency operations", president Tinubu's spokesman Bayo Onanuga said. Hours after the announcement of the operation, Nigeria's police reported a deadly jihadist raid the previous week at a special training centre in the country's troubled northeast. The attackers had killed 17 officers in the May 8, said a police statement in northeastern Yobe state.

Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second in command of ISIS globally, has been killed in an operation conducted by U.S. and Nigerian forces in the northeast of the African country, according to U.S. President Donald Trump and his counterpart in Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was second in command of ISIS globally

The second in command of ISIS globally, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, was killed by U.S. and Nigerian forces targeting the top terrorist in the northeast region of the African country, President Donald Trump announced. The post Trump: U.S. and Nigerian Forces Take Out Top ISIS Terrorist in Africa appeared first on Breitbart.

US President Donald Trump announced that American and Nigerian forces had killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of ISIS globally, during a joint military operation in Nigeria. The post Things to know about Abu-Bilal al-Minuki killed in Nigeria-US operation appeared first on Vanguard News.

Trump said the strike killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as "second in command of ISIS globally." Nigeria's president said the raid took place at a compound in the Lake Chad basin.

US President Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS globally, was eliminated in a joint operation by US and Nigerian forces. Trump described the operation as a “meticulously planned and very complex mission” against the “most active terrorist in the world,” though the exact location of the strike remains undisclosed. Al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, had been designated a global terrorist by the US in 2023.

Nigerian and US forces have killed Abu-Bilal ⁠al-Minuki, second in command of Islamic State armed group (ISIS) globally, in a joint operation, the two countries' leaders have confirmed. It marks the second time in recent months that US President Donald Trump has ordered its military to intervene in Nigeria, where he has repeatedly alleged that Christians are being persecuted.

Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of the terrorist group globally, was killed in a "partnership" between U.S. and Nigerian forces.

Al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, was designated as a 'specially designated global terrorist' by the former Biden administration in 2023, according to the US Federal Register

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki had been eliminated in a carefully planned mission.

President Trump announced that a joint US and Nigerian military operation successfully eliminated senior Islamic State leader Abu-Bilal al-Minuki in Africa Read More: https://punchng.com/trump-says-us-nigerian-forces-kill-senior-is-leader/

US and Nigerian forces carry out a joint operation against the commander, who was deemed a 'global terrorist' in 2023.

US President Donald Trump said American and Nigerian forces had killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a senior Islamic State group leader.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, was killed in an operation conducted by US and Nigerian forces. “Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist […]

President Donald Trump said US and Nigerian forces killed a leader of the Islamic State group in Nigeria in a mission carried out Friday. Trump announced the joint operation in a late-night social media post that offered few details. He said Abu Bakr al-Mainuki was second in command of the Islamic State group globally and "thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing." The US viewed Al-Mainuki as the key figure in IS organising and finance, and believed he was plotting attacks against the United States and its interests, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to share sensitive information. Born in Nigeria's Borno province in 1982, al-Mainuki took the helm of the IS branch in West Africa after the group's previous leader in the region, Mamman Nur, was killed in 2018, according to the Counter Extremism Project, which tracks militant groups. Al-Mainuki was based

Nigeria had earlier come under scrutiny from ‌Mr. Trump, who had said that Christians there were being persecuted, which the African nation’s government denies

The joint operation to eliminate the terrorist was conducted by US and Nigerian forces, the US president said in a Truth Social post.

The joint operation to eliminate the terrorist was conducted by US and Nigerian forces, the US president said in a Truth Social post.

The joint operation to eliminate the terrorist was conducted by US and Nigerian forces, the US president said in a Truth Social post.

US president calls Abu-Bilal al-Minuki ‘most active terrorist in the world’ and says he was eliminated in ‘very complex mission’Donald Trump has said US and Nigerian forces killed the “second in command” global leader of the Islamic State.“Tonight, at my direction, 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,” the US president said on his Truth Social platform Friday. Continue reading...

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ‌Isis globally, had been eliminated in an operation conducted by US and Nigerian forces. “Tonight, at my direction, 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 in ‌a ‌post on Truth Social. “Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command ‌of Isis...

President Trump announced Friday evening that U.S. and Nigerian military forces had killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a leader in the Islamic State group.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Abu Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, had been eliminated in an operation conducted by US and Nigerian forces. “Tonight, at my direction, 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. “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 in a post on Truth Social. He also thanked the Nigerian government for its partnership in the operation. Nigeria had earlier come under scrutiny from Trump who had said that Christians there were being persecuted, which the African nation’s government denies. The US had struck what it said were militant bases in northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day last year, following Trump’s accusations.

President Trump announced U.S. and Nigerian forces eliminated Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he identified as the second in command of ISIS globally.

US President Donald Trump said Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a high-ranking member of the "Islamic State," was killed in a joint mission between US and Nigerian forces.