Key facts about Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, who died in a joint Nigeria-US raid

US President Donald Trump revealed that a joint military operation between American and Nigerian forces had resulted in the death of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS globally, in Nigeria.

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This operation was hailed by Trump as "meticulously planned" in a post on Truth Social, where he also commended Nigerian authorities for their role in tracking and eliminating the terror leader.

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Trump's statement on Truth Social outlined the details of the operation, stating that "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.

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Trump also noted that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki had attempted to hide in Africa, but was ultimately found due to informed sources, as stated in his post: "Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing."

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President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria also responded to the operation, taking to X on Saturday to express his admiration for the joint effort and anticipation of future strikes against terrorist enclaves.

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President Tinubu's statement expressed gratitude for the partnership with the United States, saying "Nigeria appreciates this partnership with the United States in advancing our shared security objectives" and commended the personnel involved for their professionalism and courage.

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Tinubu also looked forward to future decisive strikes, stating "I look forward to more decisive strikes against all terrorist enclaves across the nation."

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Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, also known as Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mainuki, was a significant figure, but who exactly was he.

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According to the Counter Extremism Project, there are several key facts about Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, including that he was a Nigerian national who primarily operated in the Sahel region of Africa.

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He was also known by other names, including Abor Mainok or Abubakar Mainok, and was born in 1982 in Mainok, Benisheikh area of Borno State.

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Al-Minuki reportedly rose to become a senior ISIS commander after the killing of ISWAP leader Mamman Nur in 2018, and was described by security analysts as a hardline militant and major figure within ISIS in West Africa.

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He had a strained relationship with former Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau over ISIS operations and control, and allegedly facilitated the movement of fighters to Libya between 2015 and 2016 in support of ISIS operations in North Africa.

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Al-Minuki became a senior leader within ISIS's al-Furqan Office, which coordinated extremist activities across Nigeria and the Sahel region, and was designated a specially designated global terrorist by the United States in June 2023.

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He was linked to several notable attacks, including the 2018 Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapping and other ISIS-linked attacks across West Africa.