US releases footage of joint strike that killed ISIS leader in Borno

The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has released video footage of a successful joint airstrike with the Nigerian military that eliminated ISIS global operations director Abu-Bilal al-Minuki and several other senior leaders in northeastern Nigeria.

The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has released official video footage documenting the precision military strike that neutralized top Islamic State (ISIS) commander Abu-Bilal al-Minuki in northeastern Nigeria. In a formal statement issued on Saturday, May 16, 2026, the command disclosed that the high-stakes operation was executed in close coordination with the Federal Government of Nigeria under the explicit authorization of the U.S. President and the Secretary of War. The mid-night strike, which took place in the Metele region of Borno State, targeted a heavily fortified facility housing a significant gathering of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters. Initial battlefield assessments compiled by joint intelligence networks indicate that multiple high-value insurgents were successfully eliminated alongside al-Minuki during the kinetic assault, with no casualties or loss of assets reported by the allied forces.

Al-Minuki, who was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2023, was widely regarded as the global second-in-command and director of international operations for ISIS. According to specialized counterterrorism repositories, the 44-year-old Borno State native was highly influential in driving the terrorist network’s transnational agenda, providing strategic governance over its media machinery, global financial pipelines, and the development of improvised explosives and drone weaponization. Military officials described him as the most active terrorist in the world due to his extensive history of direct involvement in organizing large-scale structural ambushes, suicide bombings, and multi-border hostage-taking operations across the Lake Chad Basin and the wider Sahel corridors.

U.S. Air Force General Dagvin Anderson, Commander of U.S. Africa Command, lauded the strategic execution of the mission, framing it as the culmination of months of highly sensitive intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance sharing between Washington and Abuja. Concurrently, the Nigerian Presidency released a corroborating statement through Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga, brushing aside public skepticism by asserting that the operation relied on multi-source digital tracking and phone intercepts that left “no ambiguity” regarding the target’s demise. “At the direction of the President of the United States and the Secretary of War, and in coordination with the Government of Nigeria, U.S. Africa Command conducted an operation against ISIS in Northeastern Nigeria on May 16, 2026. As President Trump shared last night, AFRICOM in coordination with the Armed Forces of Nigeria, bravely and valiantly conducted a successful mission that resulted in the elimination of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, and multiple other ISIS leaders. This operation underscores the exceptional value of the U.S.-Nigeria partnership and was made possible through the cooperation and coordination of our forces in recent months. Make no mistake, our two nations will relentlessly pursue and neutralize terrorist threats and are committed to protecting our people and interests,” General Anderson stated.

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