United States and Nigerian forces killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of the Islamic State (ISIS), in a joint operation carried out in Nigeria on Friday, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social.
Trump described the mission as meticulously planned and praised both American troops and the Armed Forces of Nigeria for its successful execution. “He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans,” Trump said, signaling the operation’s dual objectives of protecting regional stability and American national security.
Al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, had been designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the United States government in June 2023 under the Biden administration. The US State Department had previously described him as a Sahel-based ISIS senior leader and a member of the group’s General Directorate of Provinces, the administrative body responsible for providing operational guidance and funding to ISIS affiliates worldwide.
Trump did not disclose the precise location of the operation within Nigeria, but confirmed it was conducted through direct coordination between American and Nigerian military forces. He thanked the Nigerian government for its partnership in the mission.
The killing marks a significant escalation in US counterterrorism engagement in West Africa. Washington had deployed approximately 200 troops and MQ-9 surveillance drones to Nigeria earlier in 2026 to provide training and intelligence support to the Nigerian military in a non-combat capacity. US forces had also carried out an airstrike in Sokoto State in northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day 2025, targeting ISIS-linked militants active in the region.
The operation comes amid broader concern over the spread of ISIS and al-Qaeda-linked insurgencies across West Africa, a region that has seen intensifying militant activity over recent years. Trump claimed that al-Minuki’s elimination would significantly weaken the group’s global operational structure.
