- President Donald Trump announced that American special forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria successfully executed a highly complex joint operation on Friday, May 15, 2026.
- The mission successfully eliminated Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, identified by US intelligence as the global second-in-command of the ISIS militant group and one of the most active terrorists in the world.
- In a public address following the strike, Trump emphasized that al-Minuki’s removal severely cripples ISIS’s global operational network, particularly its strategic expansions within the African continent.
United States and Nigerian military forces have successfully eliminated the global deputy leader of ISIS, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, in a coordinated strike on Friday night.
Eko Hot Blog reports that confirming the development through his official Truth Social platform, US President Donald Trump lauded the precision of the deployment, describing it as a “meticulously planned and very complex mission” executed flawlessly by the combined forces to remove a premier security threat from the battlefield.
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Trump asserted that the high-ranking terrorist had mistakenly believed he could evade intelligence surveillance by hiding in Africa.
The late-night announcement underscored the strategic value of al-Minuki, who was recently subjected to updated international sanctions linking him to major terrorism networks operated from his birth region of Borno State, Nigeria.
US officials stated that his elimination effectively halts ongoing efforts to orchestrate large-scale terrorist campaigns across regional communities and thwarts potential intelligence plots designed to target Western interests.
Trump extended formal gratitude to the Nigerian government for its high-level defense cooperation and intelligence-sharing during the planning phases of the mission.
This successful joint intervention follows a series of assertive military maneuvers directed by the US administration to dismantle lingering Islamic State infrastructure, following previous cross-border strikes against over 30 regional targets earlier in the year.
Defense analysts suggest that the seamless execution of this high-value raid highlights a deepening tactical partnership between Washington and Abuja regarding counter-terrorism operations in West Africa.
Further operational details regarding the exact location of the strike and the casualties recorded remain classified as the situation develops.
