US-Nigeria Joint Strike Kills ISIS Global Second-in-Command Abu-Bilal al-Minuki in Borno

In the opening operation of an unprecedented US-Nigeria joint counterterrorism offensive, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki — described by US officials as the global second-in-command of ISIS (ISIL) and sanctioned by the US Treasury since 2023 — was killed in a targeted strike on his compound in Mitile, Borno State, in the Lake Chad Basin. Three additional senior ISWAP commanders were also killed in the operation: Abd-al Wahhab (attack coordinator and propagandist), Abu Musa al-Mangawi (senior operative), and Abu al-Muthanna al-Muhajir (media production director). The operation involved US Africa Command (AFRICOM) special forces coordinating with Nigerian military assets. It marked the most significant single strike against ISWAP's leadership since the death of Abu Musab al-Barnawi in 2021 and signaled a significant new phase of direct US military involvement in Nigeria's northeast.