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Trump Says US and Nigeria Killed ISIS Second in Command in Targeted Nigeria Operation
International
Published on 16 May 2026
He allegedly ran ISIS logistics from the Lake Chad hub
US President Donald Trump says a targeted operation in Nigeria—carried out by US forces working with Nigerian security personnel—killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as ISIS’s second-in-command globally. Born in Nigeria’s Borno State and sanctioned by the US in 2023, al-Minuki was reportedly a key regional leader for ISIS’s Lake Chad area, handling operational and financial direction. Trump said ISIS believed it could evade detection, but US intelligence tracking led to his elimination.
- Trump announced al-Minuki’s death in a Nigeria-targeted operation
- The mission used US forces supported by Nigerian security personnel
- Al-Minuki was born in Borno State in 1982
- US sanctions in 2023 cited his senior role in ISIS governance
- He allegedly managed the Lake Chad strategic division operations
- Trump said intelligence tracking defeated ISIS’s attempt to stay hidden
Read the full story at Republic
This summarization was done by Beige for a story published on 
Republic