Nigeria reports elimination of ISIS second most senior leader
Nigerian forces operated jointly with the United States (photo: Getty Images)
US and Nigerian forces carried out an operation in the African country and killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second most senior ISIS leader globally, according to President Donald Trump and his Nigerian counterpart Bola Ahmed Tinubu, cited by Reuters.
On the evening of May 15, Trump announced the strike, and on May 16, Tinubu called the event "a significant example of effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism."
"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. Abu-Bilal 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," the US president wrote on social media.
Today, on May 16, Nigerian President Tinubu confirmed the elimination. According to him, preliminary assessments confirm the elimination of al-Minuki (also known as Abu Mainok), along with several of his lieutenants, during a strike on a compound in the Lake Chad Basin.
Tinubu stressed that Nigerian forces closely cooperated with US military personnel during a "daring joint operation" that dealt a serious blow to the ranks of the Islamic State. The Nigerian army also reported on the attack.
They posted on X that a strike was carried out in Metele in Borno State, where troops carried out a precision air-land operation in close coordination with US Africa Command.
Trump, who previously accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from Islamist militants, thanked the Nigerian government for its partnership in the operation.
Counter-ISIS operations
Earlier, in late December 2025, the Pentagon said the United States had launched a large-scale military operation against Islamic State militants in Syria in response to the killing of two American soldiers and a translator in the central part of the country.
On January 11, US Central Command also said it carried out strikes that day against more than 35 ISIS targets in Syria.
