President of the United States (U.S.), Mr. Donald Trump has announced the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second in command of ISIS globally.
President Trump, who announced this on Friday, May 15, 2026 on Truth Social, said the ISIS global commander was killed by the U.S. and Nigerian forces in a joint operation in Nigeria.
The U.S. President specifically said that American and Nigerian forces carried out a “meticulously planned and very complex mission” at his direction.
Trump said; “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.
“al-Minuki will no longer terrorise the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans. His removal has greatly diminished ISIS’s global operation,” he stated.
Trump particularly thanked the Nigerian government for partnering on the mission.
The operation comes after a December 2025 strike by the U.S. in Sokoto State that targeted ISIS militants at Nigeria’s request.
The U.S. Africa Command said that earlier strike was carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities and killed multiple militants.
This is as the Nigerian officials have said that recent strikes are part of ongoing security cooperation with the U.S., involving intelligence sharing and strategic coordination.
The National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu met with U.S. officials in Washington this week to deepen counterterrorism partnership.
