US and Nigerian Forces Kill Senior Islamic State Leader in Joint Operation
President Trump announced that US and Nigerian military forces killed Abu-Bilal al-Mainuki, described as a senior Islamic State commander, in a raid on his compound in Nigeria's Lake Chad Basin. Nigerian President Tinubu confirmed the operation, saying al-Mainuki and several lieutenants were eliminated in a precision strike.
Operation Details
U.S. and Nigerian forces killed a leader of the Islamic State group in Nigeria in a mission carried out Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said. Trump announced Friday evening that U.S. and Nigerian military forces had killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a leader of the Islamic State group, in a "meticulously planned and very complex mission."
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed the operation and said Al-Mainuki was killed alongside "several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin."
Strategic Assessment
The Nigerian military said intelligence shows that earlier this year, Al-Mainuki might have been "elevated to the position of Head of the General Directorate of States, placing him the second most senior leader within the ISIS global hierarchy." U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Al-Mainuki was the senior ISIS General Directorate of Provinces Emir — "the number two for ISIS globally — responsible for overseeing the planning of attacks, directing the hostage-taking and managing financial operations."
Background
Born in Nigeria's Borno province in 1982, al-Mainuki took the helm of the IS branch in West Africa after the group's previous leader in the region, Mamman Nur, was killed in 2018. The joint operation is the latest by both countries since their new security partnership that kicked off last year after Trump claimed Christians were being targeted in Nigeria's security crisis.