Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters said on Saturday that a senior Islamic State commander killed in a joint operation by Nigerian and U.S. forces oversaw the militant group’s weapons production, drone development and global media operations.
The military said Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as one of the world’s most active terrorists, was killed during a “meticulously planned and highly coordinated” precision strike.
U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier announced the operation, describing al-Minuki as “the most active terrorist in the world” and the “second in command of ISIS globally.”
In a statement, Director of Defence Information Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba said al-Minuki played a critical strategic role within the Islamic State network, providing guidance to affiliated groups outside Nigeria on economic warfare and media operations.
“Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was a key ISIS operational and strategic figure who provided guidance to ISIS entities outside Nigeria on matters relating to media operations, economic warfare and the development and manufacturing of weapons, explosives and drones,” Uba said.“
The Director of Defence Information said al-Minuki’s death removes a critical node through which ISIS coordinated and directed operations across different regions of the world.
According to the Defence Headquarters, intelligence assessments indicated that al-Minuki may have been elevated in February 2026 to Head of the ISIS General Directorate of States, making him the second most senior leader in the group’s global hierarchy.
Uba said his involvement in jihadist networks spanned more than a decade.
The Military said before pledging allegiance to Islamic State in 2015, he was a prominent leader within Boko Haram, Nigeria’s Islamist militant group. The Defence Headquarters also linked al-Minuki to the 2018 Dapchi kidnapping in which more than 100 schoolgirls were abducted in northeastern Nigeria.
The military said al-Minuki served in 2023 as the Nigeria-based al-Furqan GDP Office Emir, overseeing Islamic State-linked operations across the Sahel and West Africa, including attacks targeting civilians and minority communities.
According to intelligence records cited by the military, he also facilitated the movement of fighters to Libya between 2015 and early 2016 in support of Islamic State operations in North Africa.
The Defence Headquarters described the operation as a major breakthrough in efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism in Nigeria, the Lake Chad Basin and the wider Sahel region.