Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, also identified as Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mainuki, was considered one of the top-ranking figures within the ISIS leadership.

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that American and Nigerian forces in a joint operation had killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he called “the second in command of ISIS globally”.

“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 said on Truth Social.

“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,” he added. Al-Minuki had been placed under US sanctions in 2023 for ties to the Islamic State group.

“He will no longer terrorise the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans,” Trump said. With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished.” Following Trump’s announcement, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu and the West African country’s military confirmed the killing.

“Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States, conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State,” Tinubu said in a statement. However, neither of the leaders shared the details of where and how the IS leader was killed.

The Nigerian defence forces said al-Minuki was a “senior ISIS leader and one of the world’s most active terrorists”, using another name for the jihadist group. It described him as an “operational and strategic figure who provided guidance to ISIS entities outside Nigeria on matters relating to media operations, economic warfare and the development and manufacturing of weapons, explosives and drones”.

It said his “death removes a critical node through which ISIS coordinated and directed operations across different regions of the world”. Trump thanked the government of Nigeria for their “partnership” on the operation.

Nigerian forces are battling militancy, including regional offshoots of the IS organisation as well as Islamist rival Boko Haram. It has also carried out strikes and operations against non-ideological violent gangs known as “bandits”. Since late 2025, the Nigerian government has been under pressure from the United States, which has accused it of not doing enough to combat the Islamist militant threat.

On Christmas Day, the United States, in collaboration with Nigerian authorities, carried out airstrikes in northwestern Sokoto State targeting fighters from the Islamic State in the Sahel (ISSP), usually active in neighbouring Niger. Washington has since deployed hundreds of troops to Nigeria to support and train its forces.

Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, also identified as Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mainuki, was considered one of the top-ranking figures within the ISIS leadership structure and allegedly functioned as the organisation’s global deputy commander.

Owing to his senior role within the terror outfit, he was sanctioned by the US Department of State in 2023 under Executive Order 13224, which targets individuals and organisations linked to terrorism financing and activities.

A report by the Counter Extremism Project stated that Al-Mainuki primarily operated in the Sahel region of Africa, spanning nearly 12 countries.

The report further noted that he served as a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and oversaw operations connected to the Lake Chad division under ISIS’s General Directorate of Provinces (GDP). (With inputs from agencies).