…Thanks President Tinubu for his cooperation
Eshioromeh Sebastian
President Donald Trump announced in the early hours of Saturday that American and Nigerian forces have killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS globally, in a joint military operation that officials are calling a major blow to the terrorist organization’s international operations.
The announcement came just over a week after Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, held high-level counterterrorism meetings in Washington with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social .
The President identified the target as Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, describing him as the second-in-command of ISIS globally.”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 said .’He Will No Longer Terrorize the People of Africa’Trump emphasised the significance of the operation, noting that al-Minuki had been actively plotting operations against American citizens and African civilians.”He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans. With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished,” Trump stated .
The President thanked the Nigerian government for its partnership, concluding his announcement with “GOD BLESS AMERICA!” .While specific operational details — including the exact location of the strike and the units involved — have not been publicly disclosed, the announcement marks one of the most significant counterterrorism achievements under Trump’s second term.
The Washington Meeting: A Strategic PreludeThe successful operation came just days after Ribadu’s three-day working visit to Washington from May 4 to May 6, where he met with Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other senior US officials .According to a statement from President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the meetings focused squarely on counterterrorism, defence cooperation, intelligence sharing, and regional security in West Africa and the Sahel .
The discussions covered:· Counterterrorism coordination against ISIS-aligned groups, Boko Haram, and emerging threats across the Lake Chad Basin · Intelligence sharing mechanisms to enable real-time operational cooperation · Military capacity building, including US training and technical support for Nigerian security forces ·
Implementation of the Nigeria-US Joint Working Group framework, established for structured bilateral security cooperation Vice President Vance and Secretary Rubio reportedly acknowledged Nigeria’s role as a leading strategic partner on the continent and commended its efforts toward regional peace and security .
At the State Department, Ribadu also met with Undersecretary for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to the roadmap under the bilateral Joint Working Group .
From Intelligence to ActionThe public framing of the Washington meetings emphasized partnership — but Friday’s announcement suggests those discussions may have involved active operational planning.
A statement from Secure Nigeria, a platform focused on security issues, noted after the Ribadu meetings that President Tinubu was “grateful for @realDonaldTrump’s partnership and continued U.S. training and intelligence support as Nigerian forces intensify operations to dismantle terrorist networks” .
Security analyst Jas Keita described the Washington talks as “decisive for Nigeria’s counterterrorism fight,” noting that US Special Forces personnel had been deployed to Nigeria since February 2026 to provide “direct technical and information support” to Nigerian security forces .
“This type of support cannot be underestimated,” Keita wrote. “Empowering our security forces, ensuring they have the skills and insights, is a critical element to ensuring we defeat terrorist groups” .
Friday’s operation is not the first major joint US-Nigeria counterterrorism action. On Christmas Day 2025, US forces conducted strikes against Islamist militant targets in northwestern Nigeria following Trump’s accusations of religious persecution in the country — allegations the Nigerian government has consistently denied .
However, the al-Minuki operation appears to represent a significant escalation in both scale and coordination, involving a “meticulously planned and very complex mission” that required real-time intelligence sharing and joint execution .
The cooperation has continued to deepen through 2026. In November 2025, Ribadu led a 10-member delegation to Washington for strategic security talks. In December 2025, he hosted a US congressional delegation in Abuja .
In February 2026, a team of US Special Forces personnel was deployed to Nigeria, tasked with providing direct technical and information support to Nigerian security forces as well as strategic insight developed over decades of global counterterrorism operations .
The operation comes amid growing instability across West Africa, where extremist violence has expanded beyond Nigeria’s borders into Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and parts of coastal West African states .
ISIS-affiliated groups, including the Islamic State West Africa Province, have intensified attacks in the region.Just two weeks before the Washington meetings, ISIS militants killed at least 29 people in an attack in Guyaku, a village in Adamawa state, while Boko Haram killed 11 people during a raid on a village in Borno State .
“The escalation of violence and destruction poses a serious threat to the social and economic stability of Nigeria,” Keita noted .
President Tinubu, who has made security a cornerstone of his administration, has positioned Nigeria as Washington’s most significant democratic and military ally in West Africa . The al-Minuki operation appears to be the most tangible result of that alignment to date.
The White House has not released additional details on the operation, including casualty figures or whether any US or Nigerian personnel were injured. Further official statements are expected in the coming days.
Discussion about this post