In a joint operation in northeastern Nigeria on May 16, the US military and the Armed Forces of Nigeria killed top Islamic State leader Abu Bilal al Minuki, along with other unidentified commanders. US Africa Command (AFRICOM) designated Minuki as the "ISIS (Islamic State) number two" and the "director of global operations." " In recent years, IS has drastically changed, with sub-Saharan Africa now accounting for about 90% of its attacks. Its branch in Nigeria is by far the busiest. According to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, the two nations executed a "daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow" to IS.
In 2023, Washington designated Al-Minuki as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. In the Lake Chad Basin, a vast area of canals and swampland shared by Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, he and "several of his lieutenants" were slain in an attack on his camp.
According to a military spokesperson, information had shown that Minuki had set up a fortified stronghold in Metele, Borno State. Al-Minuki was also connected by the military to the 2018 kidnapping of over 100 girls from a boarding school in northeastern Nigeria by the extremist group Boko Haram. He was characterized as a senior Boko Haram commander before his 2015 pledge of loyalty to IS.
In 2009, Boko Haram launched a military assault to establish Islamic governance in northern Nigeria. After what was thought to be the then-leader, Abubakar Shekau, issued an audio statement on Boko Haram's X account in 2015, the group swore allegiance to IS. It has sought to create a "caliphate," a state governed by a single political and religious figure in accordance with Sharia, or Islamic law.
Boko Haram and its rival group, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have long maintained strongholds in the Lake Chad basin
The operation started just after midnight on Saturday, according to the Nigerian military, following months of intelligence collection and surveillance. It claimed that there were "zero casualties or loss of assets" during the operation, characterizing it as proof of the increasing cooperation between US and Nigerian forces.
According to the report, al-Minuki has been elevated to the position of "Head of General Directorate of States," placing him among the highest-ranking individuals in the international IS organization. In the past, he was in charge of IS-affiliated activities in West Africa and the Sahel, including assaults on minority groups and civilians.
It is thought that Abu-Bilal al-Manuki came from Borno State in northeastern Nigeria. According to analysts, his nickname most likely originated from the state's town of Mainok, in keeping with a widespread regional custom that identifies people by their hometowns or family names.