A Dramatic Raid Ends the Life of a Key Terrorist
In a dramatic early morning raid, one of the world’s most wanted terrorists was executed in a joint operation between US and Nigerian military forces. The operation targeted Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, who was accused of orchestrating the massacre and kidnapping of hundreds of Christians in western Africa.
Donald Trump praised the killing of the Isis mastermind, calling it a success. He stated on social media: ‘Brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield.’ According to Trump, al-Minuki thought he could hide in Africa, but he was unaware that sources had been keeping them informed about his activities.
US Special Forces units were still on the ground in Lake Chad, north-eastern Nigeria, where al-Minuki was killed along with several senior commanders during a 1am raid. US officials reported that Special Forces and Nigerian commandos launched a helicopter assault, leading to a gunfight with around three dozen Isis fighters hiding on two small islands in Lake Chad. Air strikes were ordered to ensure all of the terrorists had been killed.
Footage released by the US Africa Command showed aircraft targeting the ground around a concrete compound before a massive explosion destroyed the hideout. 
For years, al-Minuki has been one of the most hunted men on the planet. A spokesman for the US Africa Command said he ‘provided strategic guidance to the Isis global network on media and financial operations as well as the development and manufacturing of weapons, explosives and drones.’
A statement from Nigeria’s army mentioned that the raid started at 1am local time yesterday and lasted three hours. It added: ‘The operation involved several air platforms in a synchronised air-land configuration that left the terrorists with no avenue of escape.’ The force said that troops on the ground ‘are currently conducting aggressive follow-on operations to decimate identified splinter cells and prevent any attempt at reconstitution.’
America’s Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, stated: ‘Back in November 2025, President Trump declared to the world that we will help protect Christians in Nigeria and instructed the Department of War to prepare for action. So, for months, we hunted this top Isis leader in Nigeria who was killing Christians and we killed him – and his entire posse.’
The president of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, called the raid ‘a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State.’ Christianity and Islam are the two main religions practised in Nigeria, which is Africa’s most populous nation and home to an estimated 237 million people.
Religiously motivated attacks have increased in recent years. Last November, 25 girls were kidnapped from a Christian secondary school in the state of Kebbi, and the vice-principal was murdered. Later that month, 300 pupils and staff were kidnapped from a nearby Catholic school. In April, Isis claimed responsibility after gunmen killed at least 29 people on a football pitch in Adamawa state.
The US is still searching for Isis leader Abdul Qadir Mumin, who is believed to be hiding in Somalia.
