Trump and Tinubu Hail Joint ISIS Kill as Global Warning

WASHINGTON / ABUJA — US President Donald Trump and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu have jointly hailed the killing of ISIS global number two Abu-Bilal al-Minuki as a powerful signal to terrorist groups around the world. The operation took place Friday night in northeast Nigeria.

Trump announced the mission on Truth Social hours after it concluded. He said the joint operation proves that the United States will hunt down terrorists wherever they hide. “He thought he could hide in Africa,” Trump wrote. “Little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing.”

Tinubu echoed Trump’s statement Saturday morning. He thanked the US president for his leadership and the American military for its support. “Nigeria appreciates this partnership with the United States in advancing our shared security objectives,” Tinubu said.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth added his voice to the celebration. He said American forces had spent months tracking al-Minuki. Hegseth framed the mission in religious terms, saying the operation targeted someone who was “killing Christians.”

Africa in the Terror War

The operation highlights Nigeria’s growing role in US counterterrorism strategy in Africa. Since late 2025, the United States has escalated its military engagement in Nigeria. Around 200 US troops arrived earlier this year to train Nigerian forces. Christmas Day airstrikes in December 2025 targeted Lakurawa camps in Sokoto State.

Moreover, the killing of al-Minuki represents the highest-profile counterterror success in West Africa in years. The ISIS global structure has been under sustained pressure in the Middle East since 2019. Africa has increasingly become a refuge for the group’s senior figures.

Security analysts in Lagos and Washington said the operation sends a clear message. However, they also warned that it will not end the insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast. ISWAP and Boko Haram still control territory and continue to attack military and civilian targets.

Regional Implications

The strike has implications beyond Nigeria. Jihadist groups across the Lake Chad basin, including in Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, will take note. The willingness of Nigeria to allow US military strikes on its soil signals a deepening of the two countries’ security relationship.

However, the operation has also raised questions about Nigerian sovereignty and public transparency. Some civil society groups asked whether the Nigerian government properly informed the public about US military activity within its borders.

Presidential aide Daniel Bwala said the operation was fully authorised by the Nigerian government. He said the cooperation between Abuja and Washington is a model for how African nations can work with global partners to fight terrorism effectively.