Donald Trump announced on Friday that American forces, working alongside the Nigerian military, had killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as the second-in-command of ISIS globally.
The operation was carried out in Nigeria and, according to Trump, specifically targeted one of the terror group’s most influential international operatives. In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump said the mission was conducted “at my direction” and described it as a “meticulously planned and very complex” operation executed jointly by US and Nigerian armed forces.
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“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,” Trump wrote. He further claimed that the operation had significantly weakened ISIS’s international network.
“He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans. With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished,” Trump added while thanking the Nigerian government for its cooperation.
Who was Abu-Bilal al-Minuki?
Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, also reportedly known as Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mainuki, was believed to be one of ISIS’s most senior global operatives.
According to the Counter Extremism Project, al-Minuki operated primarily across the Sahel region of Africa, a vast belt stretching across several countries including Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Burkina Faso.
He reportedly served as a senior commander within the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and oversaw operations connected to the Lake Chad division of ISIS’s General Directorate of Provinces.
The US State Department designated al-Minuki as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in June 2023 over allegations that he played a central role in coordinating terror financing and operational guidance for extremist networks across Africa.
Africa increasingly central to global counterterror operations
Once more, it brings to attention the rising power of ISIS-affiliated militant groups active throughout Africa, especially in the Sahel and Lake Chad, where violent extremism has been on the rise in the last ten years.
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Security analysts have previously pointed out that ISIS branches in Africa are now considered some of the most aggressive of the terrorist organisation’s franchises following its defeats in Iraq and Syria. Trump’s statement further indicated the continued collaboration between the United States and African governments against the ISIS and other ISIS-affiliated militant groups.
Neither the US Department of Defense nor the Nigerian government issued any information about the operation upon release of the statement.
