Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was an alleged high-ranking terrorist operative who served as the global second-in-command of ISIS. He was reportedly also known as Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mainuki.According to a report by Counter Extremism Project, Abu-Bilal Al-Mainuki was based primarily in the Sahel region of Africa, spanning 12 countries. (Video screengrab from X)US President Donald Trump announced on Friday (local time) that his country's forces had eliminated Al-Minuki in Nigeria in a joint operation with the African nation.“Tonight, at my direction, 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. 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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.Trump, who has previously accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from Islamist militants in the northwest, thanked the Nigerian government for its partnership in the operation. Nigeria denies discriminating against any religion, saying its security forces target armed groups that attack both Christians and Muslims.But who exactly was Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, alias Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mainuki?Who was Abu-Bilal al-Minuki?According to a report by Counter Extremism Project, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was a Nigerian national based primarily in the Sahel region of Africa, spanning 12 countries. He operated as a senior commander for the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and directed operations for the Lake Chad division of ISIS's General Directorate of Provinces (GDP), the report added.The Sahel is a semi-arid transitional zone in Africa stretching 5,900 kilometres across the continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. It separates the arid Sahara Desert to the north from the humid Sudanian savannas to the south.The region spans Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Sudan in the core, while also encompassing Gambia, Guinea, Cameroon, and Eritrea in extension.Due to his prominent role in channelling international funding and guidance to terror cells, the US state department officially designated Al-Minuki as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in June 2023, by the Joe Biden administration.He was identified as a leader of ISIS with multiple aliases, including Abubakar Mainok and Abor Mainok.As per the State Department, the designation stated that individuals associated with ISIS were subject to sanctions due to their role in terrorist activities and global operations of the group.