{"id":1367,"date":"2026-05-16T05:39:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T05:39:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1367"},"modified":"2026-05-16T05:39:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T05:39:42","slug":"trump-says-islamic-state-second-in-command-killed-by-us-and-nigerian-forces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1367","title":{"rendered":"Trump says Islamic State \u2018second in command\u2019 killed by US and Nigerian forces"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"e51bbe3f-7a69-4a67-8e90-bf5f01fb6eab\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Nigerian soldiers during training at a military base in Monguno, in Nigeria\u2019s Borno state, last year\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/3aa3dd424ebbe972ed5755fd40ab0a1ee9e65104\/123_0_3500_2800\/master\/3500.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Nigerian soldiers at a military base in Borno state last year. Donald Trump says US and Nigerian forces have killed Islamic State deputy leader Abu-Bilal al-Minuki. <br \/><\/span> Photograph: Joris Bolomey\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"e51bbe3f-7a69-4a67-8e90-bf5f01fb6eab\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Nigerian soldiers at a military base in Borno state last year. Donald Trump says US and Nigerian forces have killed Islamic State deputy leader Abu-Bilal al-Minuki. <br \/><\/span> Photograph: Joris Bolomey\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Trump says Islamic State \u2018second in command\u2019 killed by US and Nigerian forces<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>US president calls Abu-Bilal al-Minuki \u2018most active terrorist in the world\u2019 and says he was eliminated in \u2018very complex mission\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Donald Trump has said US and Nigerian forces killed the \u201csecond in command\u201d global leader of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/islamic-state\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Islamic State<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cTonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/nigeria\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Nigeria<\/a> flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield,\u201d the US president said on his Truth Social platform Friday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cAbu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, thought he could hide in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/africa\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Africa<\/a>, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing,\u201d Trump added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Al-Minuki had been placed under US sanctions in 2023 for ties to the Islamic State group.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cHe will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans,\u201d Trump said. \u201cWith his removal, ISIS\u2019s global operation is greatly diminished.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Trump thanked the government of Nigeria for its \u201cpartnership\u201d on the operation, while not disclosing exactly where it took place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, was designated as a \u201cspecially designated global terrorist\u201d by the former Biden administration in 2023, according to the US federal register.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Trump has previously <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/dec\/26\/nigeria-why-did-trump-order-us-strikes-bomb-attack-isis-christians\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians<\/a> from Islamist militants in the north-west.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Nigeria denies discriminating against any religion, saying its security forces target armed groups that attack both Christians and Muslims.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The US carried out strikes targeting Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria in December. Since then, Washington has deployed drones and 200 troops to provide training and intelligence support to the Nigerian military against Islamic State and al Qaeda-linked insurgencies that are spreading across west Africa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The US forces were operating in a strictly non-combat role, Nigerian military officials said earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>With Agence France-Presse and Reute<\/em>rs<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/islamic-state\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Islamic State<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/nigeria\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Nigeria<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/africa\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Trump%20says%20Islamic%20State%20%E2%80%98second%20in%20command%E2%80%99%20killed%20by%20US%20and%20Nigerian%20forces&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/may\/16\/islamic-state-abu-bilal-al-minuki-killed-by-us-nigerian-forces-trump-says?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2026%2Fmay%2F16%2Fislamic-state-abu-bilal-al-minuki-killed-by-us-nigerian-forces-trump-says&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=world\/2026\/may\/16\/islamic-state-abu-bilal-al-minuki-killed-by-us-nigerian-forces-trump-says\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nigerian soldiers at a military base in Borno state last year. Donald Trump says US and Nigerian forces have killed Islamic State deputy leader Abu-Bilal al-Minuki. Photograph: Joris Bolomey\/AFP\/Getty Images &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1367\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}