Nigeria: Death of an Islamic State group leader killed by the United States

The Nigeria has confirmed on Saturday, May 16, the death of a leader of the Islamic State group during the second operation carried out with American forces by Donald Trump in this West African country plagued by jihadist violence. This operation, announced by Donald Trump, targeted this time Abou Bilal al-Minuki, whom he presented as the number two of ISIS in the world.

Abou Bilal al-Minuki is described by Nigerian forces as “a rational and strategic figure who provided advice to ISIS entities outside Nigeria on issues related to media operations, economic warfare, as well as development and the manufacture of weapons, explosives, and drones.”

“Our determined Nigerian armed forces, working closely with the US armed forces, carried out a bold joint operation that dealt a severe blow to the ranks of ISIS,” said Bola Tinubu in a statement confirming an announcement by President Donald Trump. He was reportedly killed last night, according to Donald Trump and Bola Tinubu. He met his end “with several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his complex in the Lake Chad Basin,” said the Nigerian president. According to the Nigerian defense forces, Abou Bilal al-Minuki was a “senior ISIS official and one of the most active terrorists in the world.”

Insurgency since 2009 Abou Bilal al-Minuki is described by Nigerian forces as “a rational and strategic figure who provided advice to ISIS entities outside Nigeria on issues related to media operations, economic warfare, as well as development and the manufacture of weapons, explosives, and drones.” They also specify that “his death eliminates an essential link through which ISIS coordinated and directed its operations in different regions of the world.”

Abou Bilal al-Minuki was placed under US sanctions in 2023 for his ties to ISIS. Washington claimed at the time that this man, also known as Abou Bakr al-Mainuki, originally from Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, was born in 1982.

Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, 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 in the northwest and north-central.

This is the second time in five months that the American president has launched a military intervention in Nigeria, where he denounced alleged persecutions suffered by Christians.

“He will no longer terrorize” “With his elimination, the operational capabilities of ISIS across the world are significantly reduced,” assured Donald Trump. “He will no longer terrorize the African population nor contribute to planning operations targeting Americans,” he added.

The recent increase in deadly attacks and mass kidnappings in Nigeria has attracted the attention of the United States. President Donald Trump claims that Christians in Nigeria are “persecuted” and victims of a “genocide” perpetrated by “terrorists,” which Abuja and most experts firmly deny, as the violence generally affects both Christians and Muslims indiscriminately.

The American military, in coordination with Nigerian authorities, carried out strikes in the Sokoto state (northwest) on Christmas Day, targeting, according to Washington, ISIS jihadists. The Pentagon has increased intelligence sharing, boosted arms sales, and deployed 200 soldiers to train Nigerian troops.

Under President Trump’s administration, “we have become much more aggressive and are working with partners to precisely 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 in Burkina Faso and Mali, where they are waging a bloody insurgency against the governments of these countries.