US Forces Eliminate ISIS Second-In-Command Abu-Bilal al-Minuki In Nigeria
US says ISIS second-in-command was killed in a Nigeria counterterror operation.
The United States has announced that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as a senior commander and the second-in-command of ISIS, was killed in a joint military operation conducted with Nigerian armed forces, according to a statement issued by US President Donald Trump. The operation, reportedly carried out in Nigeria, has been presented by Washington as a major counterterrorism success targeting extremist leadership in West Africa.
In his public remarks on Truth Social, Trump said the strike was executed “at his direction” by American forces in coordination with Nigeria’s military. He described the mission as a “flawlessly executed” and “highly complex” operation, claiming it was based on precise intelligence tracking the movement and activities of al-Minuki. According to Trump, the militant leader had been operating in Africa while helping coordinate ISIS-linked activities across multiple regions.
Trump further stated that al-Minuki played a key role in planning and facilitating attacks against civilians and had been involved in broader operational planning against US interests. He characterised the militant as one of the most active figures in ISIS’s global network and suggested that his removal would significantly weaken the organisation’s international structure. The US President also thanked the Government of Nigeria for its cooperation in the mission.
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According to the US statement, intelligence assets had been monitoring al-Minuki for an extended period before the operation was authorised. Officials claimed that the coordinated effort between US and Nigerian forces enabled a targeted strike aimed at eliminating a high-value individual without broadening the scope of military engagement in the region. However, independent verification of the operational details has not yet been provided by Nigerian authorities.
The Nigerian government has not issued a detailed confirmation regarding the identity of the individual or the full circumstances of the reported strike at the time of reporting. The lack of independent confirmation is not unusual in counterterrorism operations in the region, where communications and battlefield assessments are often released in stages. Nigeria has been engaged for years in military campaigns against insurgent groups, including ISIS-affiliated factions operating in the Lake Chad Basin and surrounding areas.
The announcement comes amid continued multinational counterterrorism efforts in West Africa, where extremist organisations linked to ISIS and Al-Qaeda remain active despite sustained military pressure. If confirmed, the killing of al-Minuki would represent a significant development in ongoing efforts by the United States and regional partners to disrupt militant command structures and reduce the operational capacity of extremist networks across the African continent.
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