Trump says ISIS second in command Abu-Bilal al-Minuki eliminated — ‘He could hide in Africa, but…’
The US viewed Al-Mainuki as the key figure in IS organising and finance, and believed he was plotting attacks against America and its interests
US President Donald Trump said on Friday, local time, that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, was eliminated in Africa in an operation conducted by the American and Nigerian forces.
In a TruthSocial post, Trump said that on Friday night, “brave” forces “flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission” to eliminate Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, “the most active terrorist in the world”.
“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," Trump said. “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.”
He thanked the Nigerian government and said, “Thank you to the Government of Nigeria for your partnership on this operation.”
Nigeria had earlier come under scrutiny from Trump, who had said that Christians there were being persecuted. The African nation's government had denied it. On Christmas Day last year, 25 December 2025, the US had struck what it said were Islamist bases in northwestern Nigeria following Trump's accusations.
The Friday night operation was the latest instance in a string of covert missions abroad that Trump has announced this year, starting with the stunning overnight raid in January to capture and remove Venezuela's then-leader Nicolás Maduro and whisk him to the US, followed nearly two months later by the launch of strikes that kicked off the war with Iran.
Who is Abu-Bilal al-Minuki?
Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second top man of the Islamic State group (ISIS) globally, was “the most active terrorist in the world,” according to Donald Trump. He said that with his removal, ISIS’s global operation will be greatly diminished.
The US viewed Al-Mainuki as the key figure in IS organising and finance, and believed he was plotting attacks against the United States and its interests, according to the Associated Press, citing an official.
Born in Nigeria's Borno province in 1982, al-Mainuki took the helm of the IS branch in West Africa after the group's previous leader in the region, Mamman Nur, was killed in 2018, according to the Counter Extremism Project, which tracks militant groups.
Al-Mainuki was based in the Sahel area, the monitoring group said, adding that it is believed that he fought in Libya when IS was active in the North African nation more than a decade ago.
He was officially designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2023.
(With agency inputs)
About the Author
Arshdeep Kaur is a Senior Content Producer at Mint, where she reports and edits across national and international politics, business and culture‑adjacent trending stories for digital audience. With five years in the newsroom, she strives to balance the speed and rigor of fast‑moving news cycles and longer, context‑rich explainers. <br><br> Before joining LiveMint, Arshdeep served as a Senior Sub‑Editor at Business Standard and earlier as a Sub‑Editor at Asian News International (ANI). Her experience spans live news flows, enterprise features, and multi‑platform packaging. <br><br> At Mint, she regularly writes explainers, quick takes, and visuals‑led stories that are optimized for search and social, while maintaining the publication’s standards for accuracy and clarity. She collaborates closely with editors and the audience team to frame angles that resonate with readers in India and abroad, and to translate complex developments into accessible, high‑impact journalism. <br><br> Arshdeep's academic training underpins her interest towards policy and markets. She earned an MA in Economics from Panjab University and holds a Post‑Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the India Today Media Institute (ITMI). This blend of economics and broadcast storytelling informs her coverage of public policy, elections, macro themes, and the consumer‑internet zeitgeist. <br><br> Arshdeep is based in New Delhi, where she tracks breaking developments and longer‑horizon storylines that shape public discourse.
Wait for it…
Oops! Looks like you have exceeded the limit to bookmark the image. Remove some to bookmark this image.