U.S. Africa Command has released footage of a joint Nigeria–U.S. operation in northeastern Nigeria that it says killed senior ISIS leader Abu-Bilal al-Minuki and other top figures on May 16, 2026.
AFRICOM said the strike was carried out under U.S. presidential direction and in coordination with the Nigerian government. The command’s initial assessment is that “multiple terrorists, to include Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the director of global operations for ISIS, as well as other senior ISIS leaders, were killed.” No U.S. personnel were harmed.
AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson said the mission reflected close cooperation between both militaries and followed months of joint planning.
According to AFRICOM, al-Minuki handled ISIS global operations, media, financing, weapons, explosives and drone production, and played a central role in attack planning and hostage-taking.
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President Bola Tinubu earlier called it a “daring joint operation” that dealt significant losses to ISIS networks in the region.
The footage was released as both countries continue counterterrorism operations in Nigeria’s northeast and the Lake Chad Basin.
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