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Trump Announces Elimination of Global ISIS No. 2 in Joint US-Nigerian Operation

US President Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS globally, was eliminated in a joint operation by US and Nigerian forces. Trump described the operation as a “meticulously planned and very complex mission” against the “most active terrorist

Kyiv Post

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16 mai 2026

3 min read

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US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Socail late Friday, May 15, that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the recognized second-in-command of ISIS (The Islamic State) worldwide, was successfully eliminated from the battlefield.

A complex, intelligence-driven raid

Writing on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump lauded the precision of the special operation.

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“Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield. Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing”, said Trump.

While the White House did not explicitly name the country where the tactical strike took place, President Trump’s extensive praise and direct thanks to the Nigerian government strongly indicate the operation occurred within or directly along the borders of the West African nation.

Al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, was officially added to the US Federal Register as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in 2023 due to his operational management of expanding insurgencies across the Sahel region. Trump emphasized that with al-Minuki’s removal, “ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished” and he will “no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans”.

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The successful raid marks a turning point in Washington’s recent military recalculations in Africa. The US previously executed precision airstrikes targeting Islamic State-linked infrastructure in northwestern Nigeria in December 2025, according to Ukrinform.

Following those strikes, Washington deployed advanced surveillance drones and a contingent of 200 military personnel to provide real-time intelligence, logistics, and counterinsurgency training to the Nigerian Armed Forces.

While Nigerian military command insisted earlier this year that US forces maintain a strictly non-combat, advisory role, the fluid coordination demonstrated in al-Minuki’s elimination underscores a deeply integrated intelligence apparatus.

Trump’s Stance

The operation’s success comes despite past diplomatic friction between Washington and Abuja. President Trump has frequently scrutinized Nigeria’s security apparatus, previously accusing the government of failing to adequately protect Christian communities from Islamist militants in the country’s northwest.

Nigeria has consistently denied any religious discrimination, maintaining that its forces target armed banditry and jihadist groups indiscriminately.

By successfully neutralizing a top-tier global asset away from the primary Middle Eastern theater, the Trump administration has signaled that its simplified counterterrorism strategy relies heavily on localized partner forces backed by precise American intelligence assets.

This counterterrorism success provides a temporary political boost for the administration, which continues to face complex diplomatic deadlocks across the Middle East, including a highly unstable truce with Iran and shifting leadership dynamics within the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).