16.5.2026
A joint military operation between the United States and Nigeria has led to the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki in Metele, Borno state.
According to intelligence reports al-Minuki the second in command in ISIS global terror network group had establish a base in the Metele near the Lake Chad area.
Al‑Minuki was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by Washington in 2023.
He was killed along with “several of his lieutenants” during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin, a huge region of waterways and swampland shared by Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
A military spokesman said intelligence had established Minuki had established a fortified base in the area – in Metele, Borno state.
“Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield. Abu-Bilal al-Minuki… thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing,” President Donald Trump said on Truth Social.
Also, President Bola Tinubu confirmed the development on X social media platform. Tinubu said early assessments confirmed the elimination of al-Minuki — also known as Abu-Mainok. With agency reports