Senior Islamic State leader killed in joint US-Nigeria Operation

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has confirmed that a high-ranking Islamic State (IS) commander was killed in a joint military operation with United States forces in the Lake Chad Basin.
The operation targeted Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described by US President Donald Trump as the “second in command of ISIS globally” and “the most active terrorist in the world.” Al-Minuki was killed along with several of his lieutenants in a precision strike on his compound, according to statements from both governments.
President Tinubu praised the Nigerian Armed Forces for the “daring joint operation” that delivered a “heavy blow” to IS ranks. The Nigerian military said the success was enabled by a recently strengthened US-Nigeria partnership involving enhanced intelligence sharing.
Trump hailed the killing as a major disruption to IS networks in Africa and beyond, saying al-Minuki would “no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans.” The US president thanked the Nigerian government for its cooperation.
Al-Minuki, believed to be from Borno State in northeastern Nigeria, had risen to become Head of the General Directorate of States within the global IS hierarchy. He previously oversaw IS-linked operations across the Sahel and West Africa. Before pledging allegiance to IS in 2015, he was a senior commander in Boko Haram.
Authorities have linked him to the 2018 Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapping, in which more than 100 girls were abducted from a boarding school in northeastern Nigeria. He was also involved in moving fighters to Libya to support IS operations in North Africa. Washington designated him a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2023.
The Lake Chad Basin — a vast area of waterways and swampland spanning Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon — has served as a stronghold for Boko Haram and its IS-affiliated splinter group, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
This latest strike represents another significant setback for the Islamic State group since the 2019 killing of its then-leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Nigeria and the US have stepped up military cooperation in recent months to combat extremist violence in the region.
In his statement, President Tinubu emphasised the need for international partnerships to tackle security challenges. “Security challenges will always be there… you cannot operate the world in isolation,” he said, citing pragmatic cooperation with neighbours and partners to protect lives and property.
The development comes amid ongoing threats from jihadist groups in Nigeria. In April, IS claimed responsibility for an attack that killed at least 29 people at a football pitch in Adamawa State. Last Christmas, US and Nigerian forces conducted a joint airstrike in Sokoto State targeting IS-linked militants.