US, Nigeria Eliminate Top ISIS Leader In Major Counterterrorism Operation

US, Nigeria Eliminate Top ISIS Leader In Major Counterterrorism Operation

US President Donald Trump has confirmed that American and Nigerian military forces carried out a joint counterterrorism operation that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a senior ISIS commander described as the terror group’s global deputy leader.

Trump announced the development on Friday through a post on Truth Social, where he praised the operation as “flawlessly executed” and “meticulously planned.”

According to Trump, the operation targeted one of the world’s most dangerous terrorists who had allegedly coordinated extremist activities across Africa and supported plots against American interests.

“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, second in command of ISIS,” Trump wrote.

The US president added that the slain commander “will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans.”

The development marks a significant breakthrough in ongoing counterterrorism operations involving the United States and Nigeria against ISIS-linked extremist groups operating across West Africa.

READ ALSO:

• Gunmen Attack Oyo Schools, Abduct Pupils, Vice Principal, Kill Two
• US Civil Rights Organisation Appoints Deji Adeyanju to Board
• Woman Gets 20-Year Jail Term For Supporting Terrorism Activities

Reports from international security sources identified Abu-Bilal al-Minuki as a Nigerian-born terrorist commander with strong links to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), one of the deadliest insurgent groups active in Nigeria and the Sahel region.

Security analysts believe al-Minuki played a major role in coordinating attacks, recruitment, and logistics for ISIS-affiliated fighters operating around the Lake Chad Basin and parts of the Sahel.

He was reportedly sanctioned by the United States government in 2023 over terrorism-related activities and had remained on the radar of international intelligence agencies due to his influence within ISIS’s global network.

Although US and Nigerian authorities did not disclose the exact location of the operation, reports indicated that the strike was carried out somewhere within the Sahel region, where ISIS-affiliated groups have expanded operations in recent years.

The Pentagon and Nigerian military authorities have yet to release full operational details surrounding the mission.

The latest operation follows increasing military cooperation between Nigeria and the United States in combating insurgency, terrorism, and violent extremism across West Africa.

In recent months, the US military has intensified intelligence-sharing and surveillance support for Nigerian security agencies, including the deployment of MQ-9 surveillance drones and military personnel for training and operational support.

The operation also comes months after another US-backed strike against ISIS-linked militants in northwestern Nigeria following attacks that reportedly targeted Christian communities.

Security experts say the killing of the ISIS deputy commander could weaken the operational structure of ISWAP and disrupt extremist activities in parts of Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Mali.

However, analysts have also warned that terror groups often attempt retaliatory attacks after the loss of high-ranking commanders.

As of Friday evening, neither ISIS nor ISWAP had officially commented on the reported killing of al-Minuki.

US, Nigeria Eliminate Top ISIS Leader In Major Counterterrorism Operation