President Donald Trump announced early Saturday morning that American forces had eliminated a top ISIS official in Africa, a major blow to the radical Islamic terror group.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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.”
— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) May 16, 2026
“He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans,” Trump added. “With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished.”
The United States named Minuki a “specially designated global terrorist” in 2023. A Nigerian native, the Nigerian government says he was likely recently elevated to the number two leadership spot in ISIS. According to U.S. Africa Command, Minuki “provided strategic guidance to the ISIS global network on media and financial operations as well as the development and manufacturing of weapons, explosives, and drones.”
“Al-Minuki was the most active terrorist in the world and has a significant history of involvement in planning attacks and directing hostage taking,” AFRICOM added.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu confirmed the raid in a post on X.
Overnight, Nigeria and the United States recorded a significant example of effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism.
Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States, conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a…
— Bola Ahmed Tinubu (@officialABAT) May 16, 2026
“Nigeria appreciates this partnership with the United States in advancing our shared security objectives,” Tinubu wrote. “I extend my sincere gratitude to President Trump for his leadership and unwavering support in this effort.”
AFRICOM said other ISIS leaders were killed in the raid, while no American troops were harmed.
Last night’s operation targeted a significant presence of ISIS fighters in Northeastern Nigeria eliminating multiple high value individuals including Abu-Bilal al-Minuki. pic.twitter.com/lNj4AMSITH
— U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) (@USAfricaCommand) May 16, 2026
“This operation underscores the exceptional value of the U.S.-Nigeria partnership and was made possible through the cooperation and coordination of our forces in recent months,” Air Force General Dagvin Anderson, commander of U.S. Africa Command, said in a statement. “Make no mistake, our two nations will relentlessly pursue and neutralize terrorist threats and are committed to protecting our people and interests.”
Nigeria has battled a rise in radical Islamic terrorism in recent years, with groups like ISIS and Boko Haram targeting the country’s Christian population in particular. Boko Haram killed as many as 27 Nigerian Christians during Holy Week this year.
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