Donald Trump has announced that Abu Bilal al Minuki, described by US officials as a senior ISIS leader and the group’s global second-in-command, was killed in a joint US–Nigeria military operation in the Lake Chad region.
Bola Tinubu confirmed the operation, saying al Minuki and several of his lieutenants were killed during a precision air-and-ground assault on a compound in the Lake Chad Basin, a major hotspot of Islamist insurgency.
The operation was carried out in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State after months of intelligence cooperation between US and Nigerian forces, according to officials. US Africa Command said no American personnel were injured.
Footage released by US Africa Command reportedly shows aircraft firing on militant positions before multiple strikes hit the target area during the overnight raid.
Al Minuki, a Nigerian national sanctioned by the US in 2023 as a global terrorist, was linked to ISIS operations across the Sahel and West Africa. US officials say his death is expected to weaken ISIS-linked networks in the region, although militant groups remain active.
NewsMaximum