Nigeria and the United States say they have killed a senior Islamic State (IS) leader in a joint-operation.
Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was described by US President Donald Trump as the “second in command of ISIS globally” and “the most active terrorist in the world”.
IS has radically shifted in recent years, with around 90% of its attacks now taking place in sub-Saharan Africa. Its Nigeria-based branch is by far the most active.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said the two countries had carried out a “daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow” to IS.
Al‑Minuki was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by Washington in 2023.
He was killed along with “several of his lieutenants” during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin, a huge region of waterways and swampland shared by Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
A military spokesman said intelligence had established Minuki had established a fortified base in the area – in Metele, Borno state.
The Lake Chad basin has long been a stronghold for Boko Haram and its rival faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap).
The Nigerian military said the operation began shortly after midnight on Saturday, after months of intelligence gathering and reconnaissance. It said “zero casualties or loss of assets” were recorded, describing the operation as evidence of growing co-operation between Nigerian and US forces.
It said that al-Minuki had been promoted to “Head of General Directorate of States”, making him one of the most senior figures within the global IS hierarchy.
He previously oversaw IS-linked operations across the Sahel and West Africa, including attacks targeting civilians and minority communities.
The military also linked al-Minuki to the 2018 Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapping when more than 100 girls from a boarding school in north-eastern Nigeria were taken by militant group Boko Haram.
Before pledging allegiance to IS in 2015, he was described as a senior Boko Haram commander.
Boko Haram began its military campaign to impose Islamic rule in northern Nigeria in 2009.
The group pledged its allegiance to IS after what was believed to be the then-leader Abubakar Shekau posted an audio statement on Boko Haram’s X account in 2015.
Its aim has been to establish a “caliphate”, a state ruled by a single political and religious leader according to Islamic law, or Sharia.
Abu-Bilal al-Manuki is believed to have hailed from Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. Analysts say his nickname likely came from Mainok, a town in the state, following a common regional tradition where people are identified by their hometowns or family names.
The Nigerian military previously claimed they had killed him in 2024 – but backtracked on Saturday saying this was in fact a different fighter who was using the same alias. It has also made similar claims about other jihadists in the Lake Chad basin, including claiming on around five different occasions it had killed former Boko Haram leader Abu Bakar Shekau before his death was confirmed in May 2021.
Trump described al-Minuki’sdeath as a major blow to IS’s African and global networks, disrupting funding channels and command structures.
The US president thanked the Nigerian government for their “partnership”, adding that Minuki “will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans”.
Nigeria and the US have increased military co-operation as the country ramps up efforts to fight the extremist insurgency that has plagued Nigeria for more than a decade.
The move follows earlier comments by President Trump that Nigeria was not doing enough to protect vulnerable groups, including Christian communities – claims repeatedly denied by Nigerian authorities, who say violence in the country affects people regardless of religion or faith.
In April, IS claimed responsibility after gunmen killed at least 29 people at a football pitch in Nigeria’s north-eastern Adamawa state.
Last Christmas, US and Nigeria carried out a joint airstrike in Nigeria’s Sokoto state targeting IS-linked groups.
Speaking recently at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, Tinubu defended Nigeria’s growing security co-operation with international partners.
“Security challenges will always be there, those are things you cannot do alone, you cannot operate the world in isolation,” he said.
“Even Trump as bold as he is, he’s in China, he’s talking about Taiwan, so who I am in Nigeria to say I will do it alone? I must embrace my neighbours. I must pursue pragmatic co-operation and partnerships, which is necessary to enhance the security of lives and property of our people.”
