Death of senior IS leader in Nigeria: What we know

Al-Minuki was placed under US sanctions in 2023, when the State Department labelled him a "specially designated global terrorist".

Residents inspect the damage after US forces had launched a strike against Islamic State militants in Nigeria at the request of Nigeria's government, in Offa, Kwara State, Nigeria, Dec 26, 2025. (PHOTO: Reuters/Abdullahi Dare Akogun)

18 May 2026 01:29AM

LAGOS: US and Nigerian militaries on the weekend killed the global second-in-command of the Islamic State group, described as the "most active terrorist" in the world, at a remote village in northeastern Nigeria.Here is what we know about the high-profile leader and the mission operation that killed him:Who was the IS leader killed?Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, also known as al-Manuki or Abu-Mainok, was a Nigerian born in Mainok town in Borno State in the northeast, the epicentre of a 17-year armed insurgency. He was placed under US sanctions in 2023, when the State Department labelled him a "specially designated global terrorist".

The United States and Nigeria said Al-Minuki was the second-in-command of IS worldwide.He was a leader in the jihadist Boko Haram group before pledging allegiance to IS in 2015, according to the Nigerian military, adding he oversaw IS-linked operations across the Sahel and West Africa, including attacks against "ethnic and religious minority communities"According to the Nigerian foreign ministry, he was responsible for some of the recent attacks against the military in the country.