IS Leader killed in Joint Operation, US and Nigeria say

BBC – Nigeria and the United States say they have killed a senior Islamic State (IS) commander during a joint operation.Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was described by US President Donald Trump as the “second in command of ISIS globally” and “the most active terrorist in the world”.

IS activities have increasingly shifted to sub-Saharan Africa in recent years, with about 90% of its attacks now taking place in the region. Its Nigeria-based branch remains the most active.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said the two countries carried out a “daring joint operation” that dealt a major blow to IS.

Al-Minuki was designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by Washington in 2023.

He was killed alongside several of his lieutenants during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin, a vast region of waterways and swampland shared by Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon.A military spokesperson said intelligence reports showed Minuki had established a fortified base in Metele, Borno State. The Lake Chad Basin has long served as a stronghold for Boko Haram and its rival faction, Islamic State West Africa Province.

The Nigerian military said the operation began shortly after midnight on Saturday following months of intelligence gathering and reconnaissance.

Officials said the mission recorded “zero casualties or loss of assets”, describing it as a sign of growing cooperation between Nigerian and US forces.The military added that al-Minuki had recently been promoted to head the “General Directorate of States”, making him one of the most senior figures within the global IS structure.

He previously oversaw IS-linked operations across the Sahel and West Africa, including attacks targeting civilians and minority communities.

The military also linked al-Minuki to the 2018 Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapping, in which more than 100 girls from a boarding school in north-eastern Nigeria were abducted by Boko Haram.