US-Nigeria operation kills senior IS commander in Lake Chad Basin

Nigeria and the United States say a joint military operation has killed a senior Islamic State (IS) commander believed to be one of the group’s top global leaders in a major blow to extremist operations across West Africa.

The militant, identified as Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, was killed alongside several of his lieutenants during a strike on a fortified compound in the Lake Chad Basin, a region shared by Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon that has long served as a stronghold for Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap).

US President Donald Trump described al-Minuki as the “second in command of ISIS globally” and “the most active terrorist in the world,” while Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said the operation marked a “daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow” to the extremist group.

According to the Nigerian military, the operation was launched shortly after midnight on Saturday following months of intelligence gathering and reconnaissance in Metele, a town in Borno State where al-Minuki had reportedly established a heavily fortified base.

Military authorities said the operation recorded “zero casualties or loss of assets” and highlighted growing cooperation between Nigerian and US forces in tackling insurgency in the region. Al-Minuki had earlier been designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by Washington in 2023.

The Nigerian military linked al-Minuki to several IS-linked attacks across the Sahel and West Africa, including the 2018 Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapping in north-eastern Nigeria. Before pledging allegiance to IS in 2015, he was reportedly a senior Boko Haram commander involved in the group’s insurgency campaign aimed at imposing Islamic rule in northern Nigeria.

The development comes amid renewed security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States as authorities intensify efforts to combat terrorism across the region. Speaking recently at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, President Tinubu defended the country’s growing partnerships with international allies, insisting that addressing modern security threats requires cooperation beyond national borders.