Trump says Islamic State group leader was killed in a joint U.S.-Nigerian mission

"Trump announced the joint operation in Africa's most populous country in a late-night social media post that offered few details. He said Abu Bakr al-Mainuki was second in command of the Islamic State group globally and "thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing." Al-Mainuki was viewed as the key figure in IS organizing and finance, and had been plotting attacks against the United States and its interests, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share sensitive information."

"Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed the operation and said Al-Mainuki was killed alongside "several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin." Born in Nigeria's Borno province in 1982, al-Mainuki took the helm of the IS branch in West Africa after the group's previous leader in the region, Mamman Nur, was killed in 2018, according to the Counter Extremism Project, which tracks militant groups."

"Al-Mainuki was based in the Sahel area, the monitoring group said, adding that it is believed that he fought in Libya when IS was active in the North African nation more than a decade ago. He was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2023. Trump, in his social media announcement, said Al-Mainuki was "second in command globally," hiding in Africa, a claim that analysts say is off the mark. They say Al-Mainuki was the deputy to Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the leader of the Islamic State West African Province who was reported to have died in 2021."

U.S. and Nigerian forces carried out a joint mission in Nigeria that killed Abu Bakr al-Mainuki, described as second in command of the Islamic State globally. The operation was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump with limited details, citing sources that tracked al-Mainuki’s activities. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed the strike and said al-Mainuki was killed along with several lieutenants at a compound in the Lake Chad Basin. Al-Mainuki was viewed as a key figure in organizing and financing Islamic State in West Africa and had been plotting attacks against the United States and its interests. He led the Islamic State branch in West Africa after Mamman Nur’s death in 2018 and was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2023.

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