Nigeria, US Kill ISIS No. 2 Al-Minuki in Lake Chad Strike

ABUJA, May 17, 2026 — Nigerian and US forces killed the global number two of the Islamic State on Friday night. The joint operation targeted Abu-Bilal al-Minuki in the Lake Chad basin, northeast Nigeria.

President Donald Trump announced the strike on Truth Social. He called the mission “meticulously planned and very complex.” Trump said al-Minuki was “the most active terrorist in the world.”

“He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans,” Trump wrote. “With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished.”

US Africa Command confirmed the result. AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson said the operation eliminated al-Minuki and several other ISIS leaders. No American service members suffered injuries.

Who Was Al-Minuki?

Al-Minuki was born in 1982 in Borno State. He served as ISIS director of global operations. According to AFRICOM, he guided ISIS media, finances, weapons, and drone development worldwide.

He also planned attacks and directed hostage operations across Africa. US documents from the Office of Foreign Assets Control listed him as a key target for years.

Presidential spokesperson Daniel Bwala confirmed the operation to CNN. He said al-Minuki had been under surveillance for some time. “When he was identified and located around Lake Chad, both the US and Nigerian government felt it was the right time to strike,” Bwala said.

Nigeria’s Response

President Bola Tinubu thanked Trump in a statement Saturday morning. “Nigeria appreciates this partnership with the United States in advancing our shared security objectives,” Tinubu wrote.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also praised the mission. He said American forces had hunted the ISIS leader for months. “We hunted this top ISIS leader in Nigeria who was killing Christians, and we killed him — and his entire posse,” Hegseth said.

The strike follows similar action in December 2025 when the US targeted Lakurawa camps in Sokoto State. Earlier this year, around 200 US troops arrived in Nigeria to train local forces battling jihadist groups in the northeast.

Security experts say the killing marks a major blow to ISIS global operations. However, analysts warn that affiliate groups like ISWAP still operate across Nigeria’s northeast.