Nigeria: Islamic State group leader killed in very complex operation carried out with the United States

This was the second joint operation launched by Nigeria and the United States. On Saturday, the West African country confirmed the death of Abou Bilal al-Minuki, described as a “senior official of the Islamic State and one of the most active terrorists in the world.”

He had been placed under American sanctions in 2023 for his ties to ISIS. Washington claimed that this man, also known as Abou Bakr al-Mainuki, originally from the state of Borno in northeastern Nigeria, was born in 1982.

He was described by Nigerian forces as “an operational and strategic figure who provided advice to ISIS entities outside Nigeria on issues related to media operations, economic warfare, as well as weapons, explosives, and drones development and manufacturing.”

Mission “very complex”

“Our Nigerian armed forces, determined and working closely with the US armed forces, carried out a bold joint operation that dealt a severe blow to the ranks of the Islamic State,” said President Bola Tinubu in a statement confirming an announcement by President Donald Trump.

Abou Bilal al-Minuki was killed “along with several of his lieutenants during an attack on his compound in the Lake Chad basin,” said the Nigerian president. Nigerian forces also stated that “his death eliminates a key link through which the Islamic State coordinated and directed its operations in different regions of the world.”

“This evening, at my direction, the brave American forces and Nigerian armed forces carried out a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the world’s most active terrorist from the battlefield,” said the US President on his Truth Social network. “With his elimination, the operational capabilities of ISIS around the world are significantly reduced,” assured Donald Trump. He added: “He will no longer terrorize the African population or contribute to planning operations against Americans.”

Second operation

This is the second time in five months that the American president has launched a military intervention in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, which has been fighting a jihadist insurgency since 2009, mainly concentrated in the northeast of the country, while armed groups have established themselves in vast rural areas of the northwest and central-north.

The increase in deadly attacks and mass abductions in recent months has caught the attention of the United States. President Donald Trump claims that Christians in Nigeria are “persecuted” and victims of a “genocide” perpetrated by “terrorists,” a claim that Abuja and most experts vehemently deny, stating that violence generally affects Christians and Muslims indifferently.

“More aggressive”

The US army, in coordination with Nigerian authorities, conducted strikes in the state of Sokoto (northwest) on Christmas Day targeting, according to Washington, ISIS jihadists. The Pentagon has increased intelligence sharing, stepped up arms sales, and deployed 200 soldiers to train Nigerian troops.

Under President Trump’s administration, “we have become much more aggressive and work with partners to strategically target threats, mainly ISIS,” said General John Brennan, a senior official at the US Africa Command, in late January to AFP.

In early April, the US State Department authorized the departure of non-essential personnel from Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, due to the deteriorating security situation. ISIS-affiliated jihadists are active in neighboring Niger, as well as Burkina Faso and Mali, where they are conducting a bloody insurgency against the governments of these countries.