US, Nigeria coordinate to take out top ISIS leader

Nigeria and the United States say a joint military operation in the Lake Chad Basin has eliminated senior ISIS commander Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki and several of his lieutenants.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the operation on Saturday, describing it as a major example of effective cooperation between Nigerian and American forces in the fight against terrorism.

In a statement issued from Aso Villa in Abuja, Tinubu said the Nigerian Armed Forces worked closely with the United States Armed Forces to carry out what he described as a daring and coordinated strike on the ISIS leader’s compound in the Lake Chad Basin.

“Early assessments confirm the elimination of the wanted IS senior leader, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, along with several of his lieutenants,” the statement said.

The Nigerian leader praised the partnership between both countries and thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for his support.

“I commend the personnel involved on both sides for their professionalism and courage, and I look forward to more decisive strikes against all terrorist enclaves across the nation,” Tinubu stated.

Earlier, Trump had announced the operation in a social media post, saying American forces and the Nigerian military had “flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission” targeting what he called one of the world’s most active terrorists.

Trump claimed Al-Manuki was second in command of ISIS globally and had been using Africa as a base while directing extremist operations. He added that intelligence sources closely monitored the militant leader’s movements before the strike was launched.

“With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished,” Trump wrote while thanking the Nigerian government for its cooperation.

Security analysts have identified Al-Manuki as a major operational figure within ISIS’s General Directorate of Provinces, where he reportedly managed activities linked to the Lake Chad division.

He was believed to have coordinated extremist cells across parts of Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Mali through the Islamic State West Africa Province.

Born in 1982 in Mainok, Borno State, Al-Manuki reportedly rose through the ranks after the death of extremist commander Mamman Nur in 2018, becoming a key logistical and strategic figure within the terror network.