Joint Nigeria US military operation reportedly killed the global second in command of Islamic State in the Lake Chad Basin…reports Africa Newsdesk
Bola Tinubu has praised what he described as “effective collaboration” between Nigeria and the United States after a joint military operation reportedly killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, identified as the global second in command of the Islamic Stategroup.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Tinubu said the overnight operation carried out by Nigerian and US forces represented a major success in the fight against terrorism and dealt a significant blow to Islamic State operations.
According to the Nigerian President, early assessments confirmed that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, was killed alongside several of his lieutenants during a strike targeting his compound in the Lake Chad Basin region.
Tinubu commended the troops involved in the mission for their courage and professionalism and highlighted the growing security partnership between Nigeria and the United States.
He said the operation demonstrated the importance of international cooperation in tackling extremist groups operating across West Africa and called for more decisive military action against terrorist strongholds in the region.
The announcement came after Donald Trump confirmed the operation on his Truth Social platform on Friday US time.
“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 wrote.
Trump said al-Minuki had attempted to hide in Africa but claimed intelligence sources had tracked his movements.
“He will no longer terrorise the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans. With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished,” Trump added.
According to the Counter Extremism Project, which monitors militant organisations worldwide, al-Minuki was born in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State in 1982.
The organisation said he rose to prominence after taking control of the Islamic State branch in West Africa following the killing of former regional leader Mamman Nur in 2018.
The Counter Extremism Project stated that al-Minuki later based himself in the Sahel region and was sanctioned by the United States government in 2023 over alleged involvement in terrorist activities.
The Lake Chad Basin, spanning parts of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, has long been a hotspot for insurgent violence linked to extremist groups including Boko Haram and Islamic State affiliates.
Nigeria has intensified military operations against armed groups in recent years, often working alongside regional and international partners to contain the spread of terrorism across West Africa.
Security analysts have warned that militant groups in the Sahel and Lake Chad regions continue to pose serious threats despite sustained military campaigns, with extremist organisations increasingly operating across borders and exploiting political instability in parts of the region.
The latest operation is being viewed as one of the most high profile counterterrorism successes involving Nigerian and US cooperation in recent years.
