Breaking: US, Nigerian forces kill senior ISIS leader in joint operation, Trump announces

United States President Donald Trump has announced the killing of a senior ISIS commander during a joint counter-terrorism operation involving American and Nigerian forces in the Sahel region.

In a statement released late Friday night, Trump said the operation targeted Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the global second-in-command of the Islamic State group and a key figure in the organization’s international logistics and financial operations.

According to the US president, the raid was carried out in the early hours of Saturday following what he described as “a meticulously planned and very complex mission” coordinated between US special operations forces and the Nigerian military.

Trump said intelligence gathered over an extended period helped track the militant leader’s movements within the region.

“Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission,” Trump stated, adding that the operation removed “one of the most active terrorists in the world from the battlefield.”

US security agencies had previously identified Abu-Bilal al-Minuki as a senior operative within ISIS’s global command structure. American authorities sanctioned him in 2023, designating him a global terrorist over allegations that he coordinated operational funding, logistics, and strategic support for ISIS-linked cells operating across Africa and parts of the Middle East.

Security analysts say his reported death could significantly weaken communication and financial coordination among extremist groups operating within the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin.

Although Nigerian defence authorities have yet to release detailed operational information, sources familiar with regional security operations indicate the mission involved advanced aerial surveillance and intelligence-sharing support.

The operation comes amid expanding military cooperation between Nigeria and the United States in response to rising extremist threats across West Africa.

Earlier in 2026, Washington reportedly increased intelligence and tactical support for Nigerian security forces operating in northern Nigeria and surrounding Sahel territories. The partnership included surveillance assistance, counter-terrorism training, and the deployment of specialized military personnel to support operations targeting insurgent networks.

Security experts say extremist groups linked to ISIS and Boko Haram have increasingly shifted operational bases toward remote areas within the Sahel following sustained pressure in the Middle East.

Analysts believe the operation represents a major symbolic and strategic victory for counter-terrorism efforts in Africa, particularly as militant organizations attempt to expand their influence across fragile border regions.

The Sahel remains one of the world’s most volatile security corridors, with insurgent groups operating across parts of Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

While officials caution that the death of a senior commander may not immediately end extremist violence, intelligence observers say disrupting the group’s leadership and funding architecture could slow future operations and weaken coordination among affiliated cells.

Nigerian authorities have not yet issued a comprehensive public statement on the mission, but security sources say operations in parts of the region remain ongoing.