By Hamza Suleiman
The United States has announced the elimination of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of the global Islamic State network, during a joint counterterrorism operation conducted with Nigerian security forces.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Donald Trump via X also known as Twitter, said American forces, working alongside the Nigerian Armed Forces, carried out what he described as a “meticulously planned and very complex mission” targeting the ISIS commander.
According to Trump, al-Minuki had been operating from Africa and was considered one of the most active terrorist figures globally.
“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,” Trump said.
He said the operation was enabled through intelligence sources that tracked the activities and movements of the ISIS commander.
Trump added that the removal of al-Minuki would significantly weaken the global operations of ISIS and reduce its capability to coordinate attacks, including plots targeting American interests.
“With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished. Thank you to the Government of Nigeria for your partnership on this operation,” he said.
Neither U.S. nor Nigerian authorities immediately disclosed the exact location or operational details surrounding the mission.
Security and intelligence sources familiar with extremist activities in the Lake Chad region, however, described al-Minuki as one of the most influential foreign ISIS operatives deployed to West Africa in recent years.
However, a security analyst, a counterinsurgency expert in the Lake Chad, Zagazola Makama, in a related development said the killing of Al-Minuki and other terrorists would restore relative peace in the region.
According to the expert, Al-Minuki reportedly arrived in the region alongside nearly 60 foreign fighters tasked with strengthening the operational capabilities of Islamic State West Africa Province across Nigeria and the wider Sahel.
Makama said the group introduced new battlefield tactics that significantly altered the operational pattern of insurgent attacks in the North-east.
“The tactics reportedly included increased night assaults on military formations, coordinated raids using mobile attack teams, deployment of armed drones for surveillance and attacks, renewed suicide bombing operations and more sophisticated use of improvised explosive devices,” he said.
The security analyst said the emergence of armed drone tactics among insurgent groups in the Lake Chad Basin had become a major concern for Nigerian security agencies because it reflected warfare methods previously associated with ISIS operations in Iraq and Syria.
He added that Al-Minuki was also believed to have coordinated international funding channels, communications, training support and strategic guidance between ISIS central leadership and ISWAP factions operating in West Africa.
Makama said the operation marked one of the most significant joint counterterrorism actions involving U.S. and Nigerian forces in recent years.
According to him, the successful targeting of such a senior ISIS figure suggested deeper intelligence penetration into extremist networks operating across the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel.
Makama said that the operation could disrupt ISWAP’s command structure, weaken operational coordination and create distrust within militant ranks.
He, however, cautioned that while the elimination of al-Minuki represented a major strategic and psychological blow to ISIS-linked groups in the region, it did not necessarily signal the end of ISWAP’s insurgency.
According to the analyst, the group has repeatedly demonstrated resilience despite leadership losses, sustained offensives and internal divisions.
He added that long-term success against extremist groups would still depend on sustained intelligence operations, regional cooperation, stabilisation programmes and addressing governance and economic challenges in conflict-affected communities. (NAN)