US President Donald Trump has announced that American forces, working alongside Nigerian troops, have successfully eliminated Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second-in-command global leader of the Islamic State (ISIS). The operation, described by Trump as “meticulously planned and very complex,” represents one of the most significant counterterrorism victories in Africa in recent years.
“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 wrote on his Truth Social platform on Friday. “Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing.”
A Sahel-Based Senior Leader
Al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, had been designated a “specially designated global terrorist” by the US State Department under the Biden administration in 2023. At the time, authorities identified him as a Sahel-based IS senior leader serving on the group’s General Directorates of Provincesu2014the administrative body responsible for providing operational guidance, funding, and strategic direction to ISIS affiliates worldwide.
“With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished,” Trump declared. “He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans.”
US Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the operation but provided limited operational details, declining to specify the exact location or the methods used. Nigerian military officials were equally restrained, acknowledging the operation without confirming details out of concern for operational security.
A New Chapter in US-Nigeria Security Ties
The operation signals an intensification of American counterterrorism cooperation with Nigeria, a key West African partner that has long struggled against ISIS-affiliated and al-Qaeda-linked insurgencies concentrated in the northeast of the country. Since December, the US has deployed drones and approximately 200 troops to Nigeria to provide training and intelligence support to the Nigerian military.
The deployment marked a shift from the previous approach: American forces operate in a strictly non-combat role, according to Nigerian military officials, focused on building Nigerian capacity to confront the growing threat independently. Nigeria has historically been cautious about acknowledging foreign military presence on its soil, given the political sensitivities around sovereignty.
Despite the tensions, the elimination of such a high-profile target suggests the intelligence-sharing arrangements are yielding tangible results. Al-Minuki had evaded capture for years, using the remote, underserved territories of the Sahel as a base from which to coordinate across multiple ISIS provinces.
A Blow to ISIS’s African Network
ISIS provinces in West Africa and the Sahel have been some of the most active branches of the global organisation, responsible for hundreds of attacks on military, civilian, and infrastructure targets across Nigeria, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Al-Minuki was credited with orchestrating several cross-border operations and maintaining the flow of funds from the Middle East to African cells.
Counterterrorism analysts note that while removing a single leader rarely dismantles an organisation, the psychological and operational impact of eliminating a deputy leader is significant. ISIS cells in the Sahel have relied on al-Minuki for strategic direction and external funding. His removal creates a vacuum at a critical juncture for the group.
For Nigeria, which has borne the brunt of the insurgency with thousands of deaths and millions displaced, the operation is a rare piece of good news after years of relentless violence.