U.S. and Nigerian forces carried out a successful joint operation Friday that killed a senior leader of the Islamic State group in Nigeria, President Donald Trump announced.
In a late-night social media post, Trump said Abu Bakr al-Mainuki, described as the second-in-command of the Islamic State globally, was killed during the mission in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. Trump stated that al-Mainuki had tried to hide in Africa, but U.S. intelligence sources kept close track of his movements.
According to U.S. and Nigerian officials, al-Mainuki played a major role in organizing and financing Islamic State operations. He was also believed to be involved in planning attacks against the United States and its interests.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed the operation and said al-Mainuki died along with several of his lieutenants in a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin region. A spokesperson for the Nigerian military task force called the mission a “highly complex precision air-land operation” carried out in darkness early Saturday. The operation lasted about three hours and resulted in no casualties or lost equipment for the joint forces.
“This elimination represents the single most consequential counterterrorism outcome” in the region since operations began in 2015, said Sani Uba, the task force spokesperson.
Questions About His Rank
U.S. officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, described al-Mainuki as the “number two” leader in the global ISIS hierarchy, responsible for planning attacks, hostage-taking, and managing finances. However, independent analysts note that his exact position within the Islamic State is difficult to verify.
Born in Nigeria’s Borno province in 1982, al-Mainuki had led the Islamic State’s West Africa branch after his predecessor was killed in 2018. He was sanctioned by the United States in 2023. Experts say he was a key figure in the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which split from Boko Haram in 2016.
Malik Samuel, a senior researcher at Good Governance Africa, said that if the reports are confirmed, killing al-Mainuki would be a significant blow. “This is the first time a security agency has killed someone this high in the ranking of ISWAP,” he noted. The operation also showed that forces could reach deep into the group’s heavily guarded territory.
Strengthening U.S.-Nigeria Partnership
The joint mission is part of a closer security relationship between the United States and Nigeria that began last year. The partnership grew after Trump raised concerns about attacks on Christians in Nigeria and suggested possible U.S. military involvement.
In recent months, the U.S. has sent troops to advise Nigerian forces and deployed drones to the region. Friday’s operation highlights the growing intelligence-sharing and cooperation between the two countries.
Nigeria continues to face a serious security crisis involving multiple armed groups, including two factions linked to the Islamic State. These groups have become some of the most active ISIS affiliates in Africa since the fall of the group’s main caliphate in Syria and Iraq in 2017. United Nations experts reported more than 500 Islamic State attacks in West Africa between January and October of last year.
The killing of al-Mainuki marks the latest high-profile counterterrorism success announced by the Trump administration this year.