US and Nigeria Kill Senior Islamic State Leader in Joint Operation
Nigeria and the United States have killed a senior Islamic State leader.
A Daring Joint Operation
The two countries carried out a joint operation. President Donald Trump described Abu-Bilal al-Minuki as the “second in command of ISIS globally”. He also called him “the most active terrorist in the world”.Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said the operation dealt a “heavy blow” to IS. Al-Minuki was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by Washington in 2023.
Shift in IS Attacks
IS has radically shifted in recent years. Around 90% of its attacks now take place in sub-Saharan Africa. Its Nigeria-based branch is by far the most active.
Strike in Lake Chad Basin
Al-Minuki was killed along with “several of his lieutenants”. The strike hit his compound in the Lake Chad Basin. That is a huge region of waterways and swampland shared by Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon. A military spokesman said al-Minuki had established a fortified base in Metele, Borno state. The Lake Chad basin has long been a stronghold for Boko Haram and its rival faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap).
