US and Nigerian forces kill senior IS leader in Lake Chad Basin operation
President Donald Trump and Nigerian counterpart Bola Tinubu confirm the death of the militant in a coordinated mission targeting finance and plotting against US interests.
United States and Nigerian forces have conducted a joint military operation in Nigeria’s Lake Chad Basin, resulting in the death of Abu Bakr al-Mainuki, a senior leader of the Islamic State (IS) group. The strike, which took place on Friday, was confirmed by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who stated that al-Mainuki and several of his lieutenants were killed at his compound.
President Donald Trump announced the operation via social media, identifying al-Mainuki as the global second-in-command of IS. Trump described the mission as "flawlessly executed" and credited the Nigerian government for its role in the operation. He claimed that intelligence sources had tracked al-Mainuki’s movements, noting that the militant believed he could hide in Africa but was unaware of the surveillance.
An official speaking on condition of anonymity stated that al-Mainuki was a key figure in IS organising and finance, and had been plotting attacks against the United States and its interests. The US Defence Forces described al-Mainuki as a "senior ISIS leader and one of the world's most active terrorists." Nigerian defence forces echoed this assessment, confirming the elimination of the senior leader.
Al-Mainuki, born in Nigeria’s Borno province in 1982, took control of the IS branch in West Africa after the previous regional leader, Mamman Nur, was killed in 2018. According to the Counter Extremism Project, which tracks militant groups, al-Mainuki was based in the Sahel area and is believed to have fought in Libya when IS was active in North Africa more than a decade ago. He was sanctioned by the US in 2023.
The operation follows a December directive from President Trump for US forces to launch strikes against IS in Nigeria, although details regarding the impact of those earlier strikes were not released. The US deployed troops to Nigeria in February to advise the military and deployed drones in March, following Trump’s allegations that Christians were being targeted in Nigeria’s security crisis.
This event is part of a series of covert missions announced by Trump this year, including a raid in Venezuela in January and strikes against Iran. Nigeria continues to battle multiple armed groups, including at least two affiliated with IS, as it grapples with a multifaceted security crisis. IS affiliates in Africa have emerged as some of the continent's most active militant groups following the collapse of the IS caliphate in Syria and Iraq in 2017.
