United States and Nigerian forces have killed a senior ISIS commander in a joint operation, with President Donald Trump describing the mission as a major blow to the militant group’s global activities.
“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 Truth Social post late Friday ET.
The US president identified the target as “Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally,” adding: “He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans.”
Trump did not reveal the exact location of the strike but said al-Minuki “thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing.”
Records from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control show that al-Minuki was born in 1982 in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, near the borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
The ISIS leader had previously been linked to several Nigerian military operations. In 2024, he was reportedly listed among suspected ISWAP/Boko Haram commanders killed in the Birnin Gwari forest area of Kaduna State.
However, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga clarified on Sunday that the earlier report was inaccurate.
According to him, the previous announcement of al-Minuki’s death was “a case of mistaken identity or misattribution.” He further noted that Birnin Gwari was not considered part of the commander’s known operational base.
“This time, however, security and military authorities maintain a far higher level of confidence,” Onanuga stated.
Trump praised the Nigerian government for its role in the operation, saying “with his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished.”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also confirmed the mission, saying American troops had tracked the ISIS figure for months.
“US forces had for months ‘hunted this top ISIS leader in Nigeria who was killing Christians, and we killed him and his entire posse,’” Hegseth said.
“Operations like last night’s demonstrate the exceptional lethality, patience and skill of U.S. forces, amplified alongside willing and capable partners, to address shared threats,” he added.
Nigeria’s presidency also confirmed the operation, describing it as a major success against the Islamic State network.
A statement from the State House said Nigerian and US forces “conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State.”
“Early assessments confirm the elimination of the wanted IS senior leader, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, along with several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin,” the statement added.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed appreciation to Trump on Saturday, commending the partnership between both countries.
“Nigeria appreciates this partnership with the United States in advancing our shared security objectives,” Tinubu wrote on social media. “I extend my sincere gratitude to President Trump for his leadership and unwavering support in this effort.”
Presidential spokesman Daniel Bwala told CNN that al-Minuki had been under surveillance for an extended period before the strike was carried out.
“The leader of this terrorist organization ISWAP had been under surveillance for some time,” Bwala said, adding that “when he was identified and located around Lake Chad, both the US and Nigerian government felt it was the right time to strike.”
Bwala described the mission as evidence of growing security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.
“Nigeria still insists that there is no Christian genocide taking place in Nigeria,” he said, stressing that extremists attack people of “all faiths.”
The operation marks another military strike ordered by Trump against ISIS-linked militants in Nigeria, whom he has repeatedly accused of targeting Christians.
In December, Trump announced that he had directed a “powerful and deadly strike against ISIS” in northwestern Nigeria, alleging that militants were killing innocent Christians.
A month earlier, he said he was considering military action over what he described as a “mass slaughter” of Christians by Islamist insurgents.
At the time, the Nigerian government rejected suggestions that it was failing to protect Christians, expressing concern over Trump’s remarks about possible US military intervention.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation with an estimated population of 237.5 million, is home to large Christian and Muslim communities.
Security analysts say extremist violence in the country affects followers of both religions, while other conflicts are fueled by ethnic disputes, communal tensions, and clashes between farmers and herders over land and water resources.
