US President Donald Trump has announced that American and Nigerian forces killed a senior Islamic State commander during a joint military operation in Africa, describing the mission as a major success against the extremist group’s global network.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the operation targeted Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as the “second in command of ISIS globally” and “the most active terrorist in the world”. He said the mission was “flawlessly executed... to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world”.
Al-Minuki, also known as Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mainuki, had been listed by Washington as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2023.
Trump did not provide details on when the raid took place or where the operation was carried out. However, he praised Nigeria for working closely with the United States in the fight against extremist groups operating across parts of Africa.
“The Nigerian government” was thanked by Trump for its “partnership”, adding that Minuki “will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans”.
The Nigerian military had not commented on the operation by the time of publication, while the BBC said it had contacted both US authorities and Nigerian officials for confirmation.
If confirmed, the killing would mark another major setback for the Islamic State group following the death of its former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019.
Al-Minuki was accused of directing Islamic State-linked fighters across Africa, especially through the Islamic State West Africa Province. The group has built strong networks in the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel region, with operations linked to Niger, Chad, and Mali.
Trump described the operation as a serious blow to the group’s African and international activities, saying it would disrupt its funding systems and command structure.
The announcement comes as Nigeria and the United States continue strengthening military cooperation in response to rising extremist violence in parts of the region.
In April, Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in Nigeria’s north-eastern Adamawa state where gunmen killed at least 29 people at a football pitch.
Last Christmas, the US and Nigeria also carried out a joint airstrike in Sokoto state targeting groups linked to the Islamic State.