US and Nigerian Forces Kill Top ISIS Leader in Joint Operation
US and Nigerian forces successfully killed a senior ISIS commander in a joint operation last Friday. US President Donald Trump claimed that this operation had “significantly degraded” the militant group’s capabilities.
“Tonight, at my direction, brave American troops and the Armed Forces of Nigeria successfully executed a carefully planned and highly complex mission to eliminate the world’s most active terrorist from the battlefield,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump identified the target as Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as the second-in-command within ISIS globally. “He will no longer terrorize people of Africa, or help plan attacks against American citizens,” Trump added.
While Trump did not specify the location of the strike, a statement from the Nigerian Presidential Villa confirmed that al-Minuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, was killed along with several of his lieutenants in an attack on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin region. According to US law enforcement documents, al-Minuki was born in 1982 in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria.
Al-Minuki’s death had been previously reported in early 2024 in the Kaduna area. However, Nigerian presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga clarified that the earlier report was a case of mistaken identity. “This time, security and military authorities have a much higher degree of certainty,” Onanuga explained.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that US forces had been hunting the ISIS leader in Nigeria for months, who is accused of killing Christians. “Last night’s operation demonstrates the lethality, patience, and extraordinary skill of American forces, working alongside willing and capable partners, to defeat shared threats,” Hegseth said.
In response to the success, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed his appreciation on Saturday morning. “Nigeria values this partnership with the United States in advancing our shared security objectives. I extend my sincere thanks to President Trump for his leadership and unwavering support in this effort,” Tinubu wrote on social media.
Nigerian presidential spokesman Daniel Bwala added that the leader of the ISWAP terrorist organization had been under surveillance for some time. When his position was identified near Lake Chad, both governments agreed that it was the right time to strike.
However, Bwala corrected the US claim regarding the target’s victims. “Nigeria maintains that there is no genocide against Christians in Nigeria,” Bwala said, while emphasizing that terrorists target people from “all walks of life.”
Experts and analysts say that the security situation in Nigeria is very complex. As a country with a population of 237.5 million, divided between Muslims and Christians, both religious groups are often victims of attacks by radical Islamic groups. In addition to religious motives, violent conflicts in the country are also triggered by communal, ethnic tensions, as well as disputes over land and water between farmers and herders. (CNN/Z-2)