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US, Nigerian forces kill ISIS second in command in joint military operation, Trump says
Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, second in command of the Islamic State terrorist group, ISIS, has been eliminated in a joint military operation by the United States and the Nigerian armed forces.
The US launched air strikes killing several ISIS fighters. The US Africa Command said the strikes were carried out “in coordination with Nigerian authorities” in Sokoto State, Northwest Nigeria.
The US President Donald Trump made the disclosure on Truth Social on Friday while acknowledging the efforts of both countries in the operation.
“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.
Trump said the terrorist leader was hiding in Africa when he was taken out, noting that the operation would weaken the activities of the terrorist group in the region.
“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.
“He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans. With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished,” the US President said.
He further appreciated the Nigerian government for partnering the US in the operation.
This comes days after deepened counterterrorism engagement between Nigeria and the United States, as a high-level meeting between Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and top US officials led by Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was held recently in Washington.
In a statement shared by Secure Nigeria, the meeting was a “decisive U.S.-Nigeria partnership to confront terrorism in West Africa.”
The US in conjunction with the Nigerian military carried out similar strikes against terrorists in Sokoto on December 25, 2025.
