The joint Nigerian-United States (US) operation on 16 May that reportedly killed Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) second-in-command Abu-Bilal al-Minuki will boost efforts to dismantle one of Africa’s most deadly terror groups.
It is also a victory in the two countries’ controversial military cooperation against terrorism in northern Nigeria.
Al-Minuki and about 40 of his lieutenants were allegedly killed in a nearly three-hour battle involving a helicopter-borne assault by a commando from the Nigerian Army and the US Navy’s SEAL Team 6, according to a military source cited by The New York Times.
Al-Minuki, 44, was a key figure in the history of terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin. Under Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, he became a tactical strategist and field commander.
A staunch Islamic State supporter, he aligned himself with the Boko Haram splinter group that pledged allegiance to Islamic State and subsequently became ISWAP in 2016.
