Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said intelligence showed Iran’s nuclear program was severely damaged by recent US strikes. (AP)
ISIS Commander Killed to Protect Nigerian Christians, Says US Defence Secretary
The United States Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, has said Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, identified as the second-in-command of ISIS, was largely responsible for attacks targeting Christians in Nigeria.
Al-Minuki was reportedly killed on May 15 during a joint military operation carried out by US and Nigerian forces in the Lake Chad Basin.
Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday, Hegseth said the operation formed part of ongoing US efforts to combat ISIS activities in Nigeria and protect persecuted Christians.
According to him, President Donald Trump had directed the US military to prioritise the protection of Christians facing violent attacks in Nigeria.
“Maybe a year ago, the President heard the concerns of Nigerian Christians who were being targeted and killed by ISIS,” Hegseth said, according to a Pentagon report.
“And he said, ‘Pete, I want the War Department to focus on ensuring that we do everything we can to protect those Christians.'”
Hegseth explained that the operation involved behind-the-scenes coordination and deployment of military assets to the region.
“And we got the assets there, and over the last month, and there hasn’t been much coverage of this, we killed ISIS number two in Nigeria, who’s most responsible for killing Christians and trying to target the U.S. homeland,” he stated.
The senior ISIS commander was killed on May 15, 2026, during a joint military operation carried out by US and Nigerian forces in the Lake Chad Basin.
President Bola Tinubu earlier confirmed the death of Al-Minuki, disclosing that “several of his lieutenants” were also eliminated during the operation.
According to Nigerian military officials, the “highly complex precision air-land operation” was carried out during hours of darkness, with no US service members harmed.
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The operation targeted Al-Minuki’s compound in Metele, Borno state, where intelligence had established that he had a fortified base.
He was actively plotting threats against Nigerian civilians and Western interests.
Before pledging allegiance to ISIS in 2015, Al-Minuki was a prominent Boko Haram leader, according to the Nigerian army.
The army said Al-Minuki oversaw key ISIS operations in the Sahel and West African regions for the ISIS affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP).
In 2023, the US State Department had designated Al-Minuki as a “specially designated global terrorist.”
The designation imposes sanctions on any property he held in the US and restricts transactions.
Hegseth further stated that intelligence gathered since the commencement of US operations against ISIS elements in Nigeria had resulted in the elimination of “hundreds” of ISIS members.
These members were allegedly involved in the killing of Christians in the country.
“And have since, because of the intel we gathered, killed hundreds of ISIS members who were targeting and killing Christians in Nigeria,” he added.
The US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) has carried out additional air strikes against ISIS fighters in northeastern Nigeria in coordination with the Nigerian government.
“The removal of these terrorists diminishes the group’s capacity to plan attacks that threaten the safety and security of the US and our partners,” AFRICOM said in a statement.
In a statement issued by the Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Samaila Uba, the Defence Headquarters disclosed that coordinated air and ground offensives in the North-East led to the elimination of 175 ISIS fighters.
The operations also destroyed key terrorist infrastructure across the region.
The operations targeted ISIS enclaves, logistics routes, checkpoints, weapons caches, logistics hubs and financial support structures.
These structures were linked to insurgent activities in the Lake Chad region.
The DHQ also confirmed the killing of Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki.
They described him as one of ISIS’s most influential global operatives.
He was responsible for terrorist financing, recruitment, logistics coordination and the planning of attacks against civilians.
Other senior terrorist figures reportedly neutralised during the operation included Abd-al Wahhab, identified as an ISWAP commander coordinating attacks and propaganda operations.
Others were Abu Musa al-Mangawi and Abu al-Muthanna al-Muhajir.
Al-Muhajir was described as a senior media production operative for the terror group.
The Defence Headquarters earlier clarified that Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki was killed during the 2026 joint Nigerian-American military operation.
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He was not killed in an earlier operation in 2024 as widely claimed online.
After the announcements by President Trump and President Tinubu, social media users circulated claims suggesting that Al-Minuki had already been declared dead by the Nigerian military in 2024.
This created confusion over the true identity of the slain insurgent.
Reacting to the reports, DHQ’s Director of Information, Samaila Uba, explained that the confusion was caused by the frequent use of identical names, aliases and nom de guerre among terrorists.
These naming patterns are common among both Islamic State West Africa Province and Boko Haram.
They are part of their indoctrination system aimed at hiding identities and confusing intelligence tracking.
“It is important to state that within the North East region and across the Lake Chad Basin, the use of similar or identical names, aliases and nom de guerres is common among ISWAP and Boko Haram terrorists,” he said.
Uba stressed that the Al-Minuki killed on May 16, 2026, had been positively identified through human intelligence and technical surveillance.
He was confirmed as a senior global operative with direct links to international terrorist coordination.
He also had links to funding and operations across the Sahel.
President Trump confirmed the operation on his Truth Social platform shortly after its success.
“Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission,” Trump said.
He also thanked the government of Nigeria for their effective cooperation in the mission.
“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,” Trump said.
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“He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans,” he added.
Pentagon officials told the BBC that intelligence had established that al-Minuki had established a fortified base in Metele, Borno state.
He was actively plotting threats against Nigerian civilians and Western interests more broadly.
Several mid-level commanders died alongside al-Minuki.
This further weakened the group’s remaining structure in West Africa.
This latest wave of US-Nigeria coordinated attacks comes as dozens of US soldiers have been deployed to Nigeria.
They are helping to fight against armed groups, engage in intelligence sharing and provide technical support.
Last Christmas, US forces launched air strikes on ISIS-affiliated fighters in northwestern Nigeria.
Speaking about whether this incident was part of a broader military campaign, Trump told The New York Times: “I’d love to make it a one-time strike.”
“But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike,” he added.
The Nigerian government has, however, previously rejected Trump’s framing of mass killings of Christians in the West African country.
Analysts have noted that people across all faiths, not just Christians, are victims of armed groups in Nigeria’s protracted conflict zones.
Although Hegseth specifically framed the operation as part of efforts to defend Nigerian Christians targeted by extremist violence, Nigerian authorities have historically maintained a different position.
They maintain that insurgency in the country involves a broader mix of terrorism, criminality, territorial control and regional instability.
This goes beyond purely religious motivations.
The latest disclosure is expected to draw renewed attention to the extent of US military and intelligence involvement in Nigeria’s counterinsurgency operations.
There is growing international concern over persistent attacks by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
President Tinubu, in his confirmation statement, expressed appreciation to the United States for its support in advancing shared security objectives.
He specifically thanked President Trump for his leadership and cooperation.
“Nigeria appreciates this partnership with the United States in advancing our shared security objectives,” Tinubu said.
“I extend my sincere gratitude to President Trump for his leadership and unwavering support in this effort,” he added.
He also commended military personnel from both countries for their professionalism and courage during the operation.
He expressed optimism that more decisive actions would be carried out against terrorist enclaves across the nation.
Dennis Amachree, former director of the US Department of State Services in Nigeria, told Al Jazeera that the killing of al-Minuki “is going to create a huge vacuum in the leadership and financing of ISWAP.”
He added that “many top officers were decimated with him.”
According to intelligence officials, al-Minuki oversaw key parts of ISIS operations worldwide.
These included attack planning, hostage situations, and moving money across ISIS networks.
Hegseth noted that many of the operations received little public attention despite their significance.
“There are a lot of things we do that the media pays attention to, and a lot of things that the president empowers the department to do on behalf of the American people that he deserves great credit for,” he said.
He added that President Trump remains committed to efforts aimed at protecting vulnerable Christian communities in Nigeria.
The Pentagon plans to keep pressure on remaining ISIS networks in the region.
More operations are expected based on fresh intelligence.
Security analysts continue to monitor the situation in Nigeria’s North-East and the Lake Chad region.
Extremist groups have sustained deadly attacks on communities, security personnel and civilian targets in these areas.
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