The presidents of Nigeria and the United States have announced the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of ISIL (ISIS).
Donald Trump first made the announcement in a social media post on Friday, without disclosing when or where the joint Nigerian-US military operation happened.
On Saturday, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said in a statement that al-Minuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, was killed “along with several of his lieutenants” during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.
The Nigerian army described it as “a meticulously planned and highly complex precision air-land operation” carried out on Saturday between midnight and 4am (23:00 to 03:00 GMT) in Metele, in Borno state in northeast Nigeria.
Borno has been the epicentre of a long-running campaign by the Boko Haram armed group and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which is linked to ISIL.
Little is publicly known about al-Minuki, who had been under US sanctions since 2023. Before pledging allegiance to ISIL in 2015, al-Minuki was a prominent Boko Haram leader, according to the Nigerian army.
An army statement described him as a “key” operational and strategic figure who provided guidance to ISIL entities outside Nigeria on media operations, economic warfare and weapons manufacturing. “His death removes a critical node through which ISIS coordinated and directed operations across different regions of the world,” the army said.
Experts say the killing of al-Minuki will disrupt ISWAP operationally in the short term, but the group has proven resilient to leadership losses. “If followed through with other tactical operations to disrupt the group’s funding and logistical capabilities, it can support the containment and disruption of its activities,” said Kabir Amadu, managing director of Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited, Nigeria.
ISWAP has recently intensified attacks along the Nigeria-Cameroon border, targeting military outposts and humanitarian convoys. These operations are seen as part of a deliberate effort to demonstrate the group’s continued relevance, especially after Trump accused Nigeria of not doing enough to protect Christians in the country’s north.
The Nigerian government has rejected the claim, insisting that Muslims are also being targeted by armed groups. In recent months, dozens of US troops have been deployed to Nigeria to help in the fight against armed groups by providing intelligence sharing and technical support.
Tinubu said Nigeria “appreciates” the partnership with the US “in advancing our shared security objectives,” adding that he looked forward “to more decisive strikes against all terrorist enclaves across the nation”. However, analysts caution that while al-Minuki’s killing is “a tactical win” for the Tinubu administration, ISWAP remains a “serious security concern”.
Source: www.aljazeera.com