IS leader dead in joint mission by US, Nigeria

WASHINGTON: US and Nigerian forces killed a leader of the Islamic State group in Nigeria in a mission carried out Friday, US President Trump said.

Trump, in a late-night social media post, 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 organising and finance, and had been plotting attacks against the US and its interests, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

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”.

The operation is the latest by both countries since their new security partnership kicked off in 2025 after Trump claimed Christians were being targeted in Nigeria’s security crisis and threatened US military intervention.