US-Nigeria Joint Strike Kills ISIS Global Deputy Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki in Major Borno Operation
By Passman Akpos
In what military authorities have described as one of the most significant counter-terrorism victories in recent history, troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), working closely with the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), have successfully neutralised Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, the Islamic State’s (ISIS) second-in-command globally, alongside several top terrorist commanders and multiple fighters during a precision air-land operation in Metele, Borno State.
The operation, carried out in the early hours of Saturday, May 16, 2026, reportedly began at exactly 12:01 a.m. and ended around 4:00 a.m., following weeks of intelligence gathering, legal intercept operations, and sustained reconnaissance that confirmed the presence of Al-Minuki and his international terror cell in a concealed and heavily fortified enclave within Sector 3 of OPHK.
According to a statement signed by Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, Media Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki—also known as Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mainuki—was a United States-designated Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), listed by the U.S. Department of State on June 8, 2023, under Executive Order 13224.
Military sources said Al-Minuki served as one of the highest-ranking ISIS leaders globally and was the most senior ISWAP commander operating across the Lake Chad Basin and the wider Sahel region. He was accused of coordinating international funding, strategic planning, and operational guidance for terror cells across Northern Borno and neighbouring countries.
The Nigerian military said the joint mission involved multiple air platforms in a synchronised strike configuration, supported by Special Forces on the ground who secured the perimeter, blocked escape routes, and prepared for emergency extraction if necessary.
“The operation left the terrorists with no avenue of escape,” the statement said, adding that the mission was authorised by the Military High Command and reflected the highest level of institutional coordination between Nigeria and its U.S. partners.
Remarkably, the military confirmed that the operation was completed with zero casualties and no loss of assets on the side of the Nigerian and American forces.
Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki was confirmed killed alongside several of his key lieutenants and multiple combatants, while troops have since launched aggressive follow-up exploitation operations aimed at dismantling splinter cells and preventing any regrouping by surviving insurgents.
The military described the elimination of Al-Minuki as “the single most consequential counter-terrorism outcome in the North East Theatre since the inception of Operation HADIN KAI.”
President Donald Trump of the United States reportedly acknowledged the success of the operation and publicly praised the strategic partnership between American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria in the fight against terrorism.
Security analysts say the death of Al-Minuki could significantly weaken ISIS operations across West Africa and the Sahel, particularly within the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which has remained one of the deadliest insurgent groups in the region.
Operation HADIN KAI said the successful mission sends a clear warning to terrorist organisations that there will be no sanctuary for them within Nigeria’s North East and reaffirmed its status as one of the most formidable counter-terrorism formations in sub-Saharan Africa.
Battle Damage Assessment is still ongoing as military commanders continue efforts to track down and eliminate remaining terrorist cells linked to the slain ISIS leader.
