Overview
- President Trump and Nigeria’s President Tinubu said Friday that a joint mission in northeast Nigeria killed Abu‑Bilal al‑Minuki, described by officials as ISIS’s global No. 2, along with several lieutenants.
- Tinubu placed the strike in the Lake Chad Basin and said early assessments point to a hit on al‑Minuki’s compound, while U.S. statements thanked Nigeria for close coordination on the raid.
- Al‑Minuki, a Nigerian national sanctioned by the U.S. in 2023, has been linked to ISIS’s General Directorate of Provinces and to Islamic State West Africa Province, which oversees operations and funding across affiliates.
- Officials cast the kill as a major blow to ISIS’s network, yet public details on tactics, the exact location, and whether U.S. forces took a combat role remain limited as independent verification develops.
- The operation follows an expanded U.S. presence in Nigeria since late 2025, including drones, about 200 troops, and prior strikes, targeting ISIS‑linked insurgents who have driven violence and displacement around the Lake Chad region.