U.S. President Donald Trump announced on April 4 that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, alleged to be the second-ranking commander of the Islamic State (ISIL/ISIS) worldwide, was killed in a joint operation by U.S. and Nigerian forces.
“Our brave U.S. forces and the Nigerian Army flawlessly executed a complex and meticulously planned mission to remove the world’s most active terrorist from the battlefield,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on April 4.
“Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global No. 2 of ISIS, thought he could hide in Africa, but he didn’t know we have sources that constantly update us on what he is doing,” Trump added.
The U.S. president also thanked the Nigerian government for cooperation in the operation but provided no further details. He asserted, “With his removal, the global operations of ISIS have been significantly degraded.”
Al-Minuki had been on the U.S. sanctions list since 2023 for ties to ISIL. When placing al-Minuki on the list of “global terrorists,” the U.S. State Department described him as a senior ISIL leader operating in the Sahel region and belonging to the General Directorate of Provinces, the group's administrative body that provides “operational direction and funding worldwide.”
Related developments
In recent months, Trump has accused Nigeria of not doing enough to curb armed groups targeting Christians in the northwest of the country. The Nigerian government has rejected the accusation, arguing that militants attack both Muslim and Christian communities.
Last Christmas Day, U.S. forces launched an airstrike in Sokoto state against ISIL militants active in the area. Since then, Washington has deployed hundreds of troops to Nigeria for technical support and intelligence sharing in the fight against armed groups. Nigeria insists that U.S. forces play a strictly non-combat role.
