President Donald Trump said Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was killed in a joint US-Nigerian military operation on Friday, May 15, 2026, in a Truth Social post.
Trump said American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria carried out a complex mission against al-Minuki. He described the target as “the most active terrorist in the world.”
The US president identified al-Minuki as the second-in-command of ISIS globally. He said the operation stopped him from planning attacks against Americans and terrorising people in Africa.
The U.S. State Department labelled al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, as an Islamic State leader in Africa’s Sahel region in 2023. At the time, officials linked him to an ISIS office that guided operations and funding.
The U.S. Treasury Department also placed al-Minuki on its global terrorist list in 2023. Public data from the Office of Foreign Assets Control listed his birth year as 1982 and his birthplace as Borno state in northeastern Nigeria.
Meanwhile, ISIS has lost major ground since 2017. The United States, regional allies, Iran and other forces recaptured large areas from the group in Iraq and Syria. However, the group has continued activity in parts of the Middle East and Africa.
