Joint US-Nigeria raid eliminates ISIS’s top WA leader in Lake Chad

The United States and Nigeria said they killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described by Trump as the second-in-command of ISIS globally, during a midnight strike on his fortified base in the Lake Chad Basin (Metele, Borno state), taking out Minuki and several lieutenants. Minuki led IS operations across Sahel/West Africa and was linked to major attacks, with ISWAP and Boko Haram activity in the region. The operation followed months of intelligence gathering and marks a boost in US-Nigerian security cooperation, though earlier claims of his death had been retracted. Nigerian President Tinubu hailed the strike as a heavy blow to IS networks and emphasized pragmatic international partnerships to improve security across the region.