Donald Trump said that senior ISIS leader Abu Bilal al-Maynuki had been killed in a joint operation carried out by U.S. and Nigerian forces.
According to the U.S. president, al-Maynuki was considered “the most active terrorist in the world” and ranked second in the ISIS hierarchy.
“He thought he could hide in Africa, but he didn’t know we had sources keeping us informed about his movements. He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations against Americans,” Trump said.
The president did not specify where or when the operation took place. He also claimed that ISIS had been significantly weakened following al-Maynuki’s death.
Trump thanked the Nigerian authorities for their cooperation. The U.S. president had previously criticized Nigeria’s government, accusing it of failing to protect the country’s Christian population from attacks by radical Islamist groups.
Nigerian authorities have rejected accusations of religious discrimination, saying security forces are fighting armed groups that attack both Christians and Muslims, Reuters noted.
In December 2025, the United States already carried out strikes against ISIS-linked militants in Nigeria. Washington later deployed drones to the country and sent around 200 troops to support the Nigerian military in its fight against groups linked to ISIS and al-Qaeda, whose activity has been increasing across West Africa.