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Announcing the operation on Truth Social, Trump described Abu-Bilal al-Minuki as ‘the most active terrorist in the world’ and claimed his removal had weakened ISIS globally.
A member loyal to the Islamic State waves an ISIS flag. (Image: Reuters)
Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described by the United States as the second-in-command of ISIS globally and one of the group’s most influential Africa-based operatives, has been killed in a joint operation conducted by American and Nigerian forces.
US President Donald Trump announced the killing on Saturday, calling al-Minuki “the most active terrorist in the world” and claiming the mission had significantly weakened ISIS’s global operations.
“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 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 on Truth Social.
“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. Thank you to the Government of Nigeria for your partnership on this operation,” he added.
Trump, however, did not disclose where exactly the operation took place or whether it involved an air strike or ground raid.
Who Was Abu-Bilal al-Minuki?
According to the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was born in Nigeria’s Borno State in 1982. He was considered one of ISIS’s most senior operatives in Africa and had long been associated with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The former Biden administration designated him a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in June 2023. The US State Department at the time described him as a senior ISIS leader based in the Sahel region and linked him to the group’s General Directorate of Provinces — a central ISIS administrative structure responsible for operational guidance, coordination and funding across global affiliates.
Counter Extremism Project (CEP), a nonprofit international policy organisation, said al-Minuki led officials in the Lake Chad division of ISIS’s General Directorate of Provinces offices and played a major role in coordinating militant activities in West Africa.
It remains unclear exactly when he rose to become one of ISIS’s top global figures. However, analysts and regional observers believe he steadily gained influence following internal rivalries and leadership changes within ISWAP after 2018.
Rise Within ISWAP After Mamman Nur’s Killing
According to CEP, al-Minuki is believed to have held a regional command role within ISIS since the 2018 killing of ISWAP chief Mamman Nur.
Nur himself was a significant figure within the Boko Haram splinter movement that aligned with ISIS. After his execution, al-Minuki reportedly emerged as one of the most influential and hardline figures inside ISWAP.
Over time, he became deeply involved in ISIS’s regional command architecture in West Africa, particularly around the Lake Chad basin, which covers parts of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
His Links With Boko Haram And Abubakar Shekau
One of the defining aspects of al-Minuki’s rise was his reportedly strained relationship with notorious Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.
According to CEP, tensions escalated between the two sometime between March 2015 and early 2016 after ISIS sought to send fighters from West Africa to Libya.
Shekau reportedly rejected the directive. Al-Minuki, who was then serving as ISWAP’s Lake Chad area commander, instead facilitated the deployment of fighters.
The move reportedly deepened divisions within militant networks in the region, especially as Shekau resisted attempts to increase operational coordination with ISIS’s central leadership.
The Al-Furqan Office
Al-Minuki eventually rose to become a senior leader of ISIS’s al-Furqan Office, considered one of the terror group’s most active and established regional networks.
The office reportedly oversees militant activities in Nigeria and neighbouring countries, while also maintaining links with the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), which operates across the western Sahel.
The Sahel region has increasingly become a major focus for global counterterrorism agencies in recent years due to the rapid spread of ISIS- and al Qaeda-linked insurgencies across West and Central Africa.
Why Africa Has Become A Key ISIS Battleground
Although ISIS lost much of its territorial control in Iraq and Syria years ago, the group has continued to expand through regional affiliates across Africa.
The Sahel, in particular, has emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing conflict zones involving Islamist insurgencies.
Nigeria has faced years of violence from Boko Haram and ISWAP, especially in the country’s northeast. Attacks have also spread into neighbouring countries around Lake Chad.
Reuters reported that the United States had already carried out strikes targeting ISIS-linked militants in Nigeria in December. Since then, Washington has deployed drones and around 200 troops to support Nigerian military operations with training and intelligence assistance.
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