President Donald Trump announced late Friday that U.S. and Nigerian forces carried out a joint operation that killed a leader of the Islamic State group in Nigeria.
In a brief social media post, Trump identified the man as Abu Bakr al-Mainuki and said he was “second in command” of the Islamic State globally and had been hiding in Africa. A U.S. official, speaking on background because they were not authorized to discuss sensitive details, described al-Mainuki as a key organizer and financial figure who had been plotting attacks against the United States and its interests.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed the operation and said al-Mainuki and “several of his lieutenants” were killed in a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin. The Nigerian military said the raid was the result of a recently formed U.S.-Nigeria partnership and intelligence-sharing effort and that it disrupted a violent terrorist network threatening the country and the wider West African region.
Al-Mainuki, born in Borno state in 1982, rose to lead the Islamic State’s West Africa presence after the killing of Mamman Nur in 2018, according to the Counter Extremism Project. The group says he was based in the Sahel, is believed to have fought in Libya when IS was active there more than a decade ago, and was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2023.
Analysts cautioned that Trump’s description of al-Mainuki as “second in command globally” likely overstates his standing. Experts note he was viewed as a deputy within ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) and a central figure in organizing and funding operations after ISWAP’s split from Boko Haram. Malik Samuel, a senior researcher at Good Governance Africa, said if confirmed the killing would be significant: it would mark the first time a security agency has killed someone that high in ISWAP’s ranks and could sow disruption inside the group because the operation appears to have struck deep within ISWAP’s fortified base.
The raid follows a series of increased U.S. activities in Nigeria this year: Washington sent troops in February to advise Nigerian forces and deployed drones in March. In December, Trump directed U.S. forces to launch strikes against IS targets in Nigeria, though officials released few details then.
Nigeria continues to face a complex security crisis involving multiple armed groups, including at least two IS-affiliated organizations. IS networks in Africa have grown more active since the collapse of the so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq. Trump has publicly announced other covert operations this year, citing missions abroad that U.S. officials say reflect an expanded use of targeted raids and strikes.