TDPresident Donald Trump announced Friday evening that U.S. and Nigerian military forces had successfully killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a senior leader of the Islamic State group, in what he described as a “meticulously planned and very complex mission.”
Trump, speaking through his Truth Social account, hailed the operation as a major blow to global terrorism.
He identified al-Minuki as the Islamic State’s second-in-command worldwide and “the most active terrorist in the world.”
“He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans.
“With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished,” Trump wrote.
See screenshot of the post below:
Who is Abu-Bilal al-Minuki?
Al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, was previously designated by the U.S. State Department in 2023 as a key figure in ISIS’s Sahel operations.
At the time, he was serving as a senior official in the group’s General Directorate of Provinces.
The office is responsible for providing operational guidance and funding to affiliates across the globe.
He was also placed on the Treasury Department’s specially designated global terrorist list, subjecting him to sanctions and financial restrictions.
The Islamic State, once controlling vast territories in Iraq and Syria, has been significantly weakened since 2017.
The feat followed coordinated military campaigns by the U.S., regional allies, Iran, and other forces.
However, the group and its affiliates remain active in parts of the Middle East and Africa, where they continue to launch insurgent attacks.
In West Africa, ISIS-linked groups maintain a presence in Nigeria and across the Sahel, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
Al-Minuki down with “multiple ISIS terrorists”
Recent months have seen suspected ISIS attacks in all four countries.
The attacks include an offensive on a Nigerian military base and clashes with rival Islamist factions, according to the International Crisis Group.
Friday’s announcement follows Trump’s earlier order of strikes on ISIS targets in Nigeria during Christmas Day last year.
The U.S. Africa Command reported that “multiple ISIS terrorists” were killed in their camps.
Analysts say the killing of al-Minuki marks one of the most significant counterterrorism successes in Africa in recent years, potentially disrupting ISIS’s ability to coordinate operations across the region.
Still, experts caution that the group’s decentralized structure means affiliates may continue to pose threats despite the loss of a senior commander.
The joint U.S.-Nigerian operation underscores the growing military cooperation.
Washington and Abuja are tackling extremist violence, as Nigeria continues to battle insurgencies in its northern regions.
