Senior IS leader killed by US and Nigerian forces

US President Donald Trump said the joint operation eliminated "the most active terrorist in the world", Abu-Bilal al-Minuki. Senior IS leader killed by US and Nigerian forces Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. The Nigerian military has increased cooperation with the US in efforts to combat extremist violence (file photo) Nigerian soldiers from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) drive around in pick-ups during training at the MNJTF military base, Sector 3 Headquarters, in Monguno, Borno state, Nigeria, on July 5, 2025. Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has confirmed the killing of a senior Islamic State (IS) leader in a joint-operation with the US. "Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States, conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State," Tinubu said in a statement. The operation was first announced by US President Donald Trump, who described Abu-Bilal al-Minuki as the "second in command of ISIS globally" and "the most active terrorist in the world". Al‑Minuki was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by Washington in 2023. The killing marks another significant setback for Islamic State group (IS) following the killing of its leader Abu Bakr al‑Baghdadi in 2019. Tinubu said in a statement that al-Manuki was killed along with "several of his lieutenants", during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin. The Nigerian Military said the "precision operation" was made possible through the "recently formed US-Nigeria partnership and intelligence sharing efforts." It said al-Minuki had been promoted to "Head of General Directorate of States", making him one of the most senior figures within the global IS hierarchy. Before that, officials said he oversaw IS-linked operations across the Sahel and West Africa, including attacks targeting civilians and minority communities. The military also linked al-Minuki to the 2018 Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapping when more than 100 girls from a boarding school in north-eastern Nigeria were taken by militant group Boko Haram. The military also linked al-Minuki to the when more than 100 girls from a boarding school in north-eastern Nigeria were taken by militant group Boko Haram. Nigeria military's spokesperson Samali Uba said he previously helped move fighters to Libya in support of IS operations in North Africa. Before pledging allegiance to IS in 2015, he was described as a senior Boko Haram commander. Boko Haram began its military campaign to impose Islamic rule in northern Nigeria in 2009. The group pledged its allegiance to Islamic State after what was believed to be the then-leader Abubakar Shekau posted an audio statement on Boko Haram's X account in 2015. Its aim has been to establish a "caliphate", a state ruled by a single political and religious leader according to Islamic law, or Sharia. Trump described al-Minuki's death as a major blow to IS's African and global networks, disrupting funding channels and command structures. death as a major blow to IS's African and global networks, disrupting funding channels and command structures. The US president thanked the Nigerian government for their "partnership", adding that Minuki "will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans". Nigeria and the US have increased military cooperation as the country ramps up efforts to fight extremist violence. In April, IS claimed responsibility after gunmen killed at least 29 people at a football pitch in Nigeria's north-eastern Adamawa state. Last Christmas, US and Nigeria carried out a joint airstrike in Nigeria's Sokoto state targeting IS-linked groups. A group of men and officials looking on at the burnt-out remnants of motorbikes IS says it was behind deadly Nigeria attack on football pitch Scene of a US strike in Jabo, in Sokoto state in north-west Nigeria, with police cordoning off a crater in a field, 26 December US launches strikes against Islamic State in Nigeria The US president says he wants Beijing and Taipei to "cool down" tensions over the self-governing island. The South Carolina Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for the man accused of killing his wife and son in a case that fascinated the US. Charges could come as soon as next week in a case reportedly focused on Cuba's downing of two planes in 1996. 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