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Abu-Bilal al-Minuki Killed: US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the US military and Nigerian security forces have killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second-highest commander of ISIS, in a joint operation.

Giving information on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump said that this operation was carried out under a very complex and pre-planned plan. He wrote that American and Nigerian soldiers together successfully carried out this mission.

What did Trump say about Abu Bilal?

According to Trump, al-Minuki was hiding in Africa and believed that his activities would remain undetected. However, American agencies were continuously getting information about his activities. He said that al-Minuki will no longer be able to spread terror among the people of Africa nor be involved in conspiracies targeting Americans. Trump claimed that his killing has caused major damage to the global network of ISIS. The US President also thanked the Nigerian government for its cooperation in this operation.

Who was Abu-Bilal al-Minuqi?

• Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was considered the second highest terrorist commander of ISIS. He was known by many names such as Abu Bilal al-Minuki, Abor Mainok and Abubakar Mainok.
• According to the Counter Extremism Project report, al-Minuki was mainly active in the Sahel region of Africa. This area extends to 12 countries. He was playing the role of a senior commander in the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). He also operated ISIS operations in the Lake Chad region.
• The report says that he also played an important role in providing international funding and instructions to terrorist networks. For this reason, the US State Department had declared him “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” (SDGT) in June 2023.
• Abu Bilal Al Minuki was born in 1982 in Mainok, Benisekh, Borno State, Nigeria and holds Nigerian citizenship.

How did he become the commander of ISWAP?

According to reports, al-Minuqi became the regional commander in the organization after the assassination of ISWAP leader Mamman Noor in 2018. He was counted among the radical leaders of the organization. According to regional experts, his relations with former Boko Haram chief Abubakar Shekau were also strained. It is said that between 2015 and 2016, ISIS had requested Boko Haram to send fighters to Libya, but Shekau did not accept it. After this, Al-Minuki sent fighters as the Lake Chad Commander of ISWAP.

After this incident, the differences between Shekau and Al-Minuki increased further. According to reports, Shekau was angry with those who were in favor of closer ties with ISIS.