President Trump announced Friday that U.S. and Nigerian forces have killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a senior Islamic State leader, in a coordinated operation at a compound in the Lake Chad Basin. Posting on Truth Social, the president called the raid “meticulously planned and very complex,” and said al-Minuki — described by U.S. officials as one of ISIS’s top commanders — will no longer be able to direct attacks in Africa or against Americans.
Nigeria’s presidency confirmed the operation and said early assessments indicate al-Minuki was eliminated. The government added that several of his lieutenants were also killed. Nigeria’s defense authorities described the mission as a tightly coordinated counterterrorism action conducted with U.S. support.
A native of Nigeria, al-Minuki was identified by the U.S. State Department in 2023 as a leader within ISIS’s operations in the Sahel region. At that time, he was tied to the group’s General Directorate of Provinces, an office the State Department says provides operational guidance and funding to affiliates around the world. The U.S. Treasury also placed him on its specially designated global terrorist list in 2023, imposing sanctions.
Though the Islamic State lost large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria beginning in 2017, the organization and its affiliates have remained active in parts of the Middle East and Africa, mounting insurgent attacks. ISIS’s West Africa network has been particularly active in Nigeria and in Sahel countries including Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
In recent months, suspected ISIS-linked attacks have included an assault on a Nigerian military base and clashes with other armed Islamist groups, according to regional reporting and monitoring organizations. Last December, the Trump administration ordered strikes on ISIS targets in Nigeria; U.S. Africa Command reported that multiple ISIS militants were killed in those actions.
Mr. Trump has in recent months urged Nigeria to take stronger measures against terrorism, while criticizing the country’s handling of violence against Christian communities. Nigerian officials have denied tolerating religious persecution; analysts note that large numbers of both Muslims and Christians have been affected by the ongoing insurgency across northern Nigeria.
U.S. and Nigerian officials have not yet released detailed operational timelines or a full aftermath assessment. Additional confirmations and details from governments and independent monitors are expected as investigators continue to review the raid’s results and the implications for ISIS’s networks in West Africa.