US President Donald Trump announced that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as ISIS's global second-in-command, was killed in a joint operation conducted by American and Nigerian forces.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the mission was carried out under his direction and involved coordinated efforts between US and Nigerian security forces.
"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.
He added that al-Minuki had been hiding in Africa while continuing to support global extremist operations.
"With his removal, ISIS's global operation is greatly diminished," Trump stated, while thanking the Nigerian government for its cooperation.
Who Was Abu-Bilal al-Minuki?
Also identified as Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mainuki, the ISIS commander was born in 1982 in Mainok, located in Nigeria's Borno State.
He rose through extremist networks operating in the Lake Chad Basin and later became a senior figure in the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a Boko Haram splinter faction aligned with ISIS.
Counterterrorism assessments linked him to ISIS's General Directorate of Provinces (GDP), which oversees the terror group's international branches. He was also associated with the al-Furqan Office, believed to coordinate regional operations and financing networks across Africa.
Security analysts said al-Minuki played a major role in logistics, militant coordination and expanding ISIS-linked activities across the Sahel region.
US Terror Designation
In 2023, the US designated al-Minuki as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224 for his alleged involvement in terrorism financing and extremist activities.
American authorities accused him of helping strengthen ISIS's operational footprint across Africa and supporting insurgent activity in the Sahel and Lake Chad regions.
Conflicting Reports Over His Death
Nigerian military sources had earlier claimed in 2024 that al-Minuki was killed during counterterror operations. However, Trump's latest announcement suggests US and Nigerian agencies later confirmed his identity and role through a separate joint operation in 2026.
Counterterrorism experts viewed al-Minuki as a key architect of ISIS's African expansion strategy, particularly in the unstable Sahel belt where extremist groups have increased their influence in recent years.
Officials are expected to release further details about the operation in the coming days.
