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Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a Nigerian national born in Borno State in 1982, rose from a local Boko Haram commander to become the Islamic State’s director of global operations before he was killed in a joint US-Nigeria military operation on May 16, 2026. Here is what is known about the man U.S. Africa Command described as “the most active terrorist in the world.”
Identity and Background
U.S. government records identify al-Minuki as Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mainuki, a Nigerian national born in 1982 in Mainok, near Benisheikh in Borno State.
His nom de guerre “al-Minuki” is believed to derive from Mainok, his hometown, in line with a regional tradition in which individuals are identified by their place of origin.
The U.S. Department of State designated al-Minuki a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on June 8, 2023, under Executive Order 13224. At the time, the State Department called him “a Sahel-based IS senior leader and part of its general directorate of provinces,” describing the directorate as the group’s administrative body that provides “operational guidance and funding around the world,” according to The Guardian.
Rise Through Terrorist Ranks
Before pledging allegiance to the Islamic State in 2015, al-Minuki was a commander within Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown terrorist organisation.
He gained prominence within the Islamic State West Africa Province following the death of senior extremist figure Mamman Nur in 2018, according to intelligence assessments.
Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters has stated that intelligence indicates al-Minuki may have been elevated to Head of the ISIS General Directorate of States as recently as February 2026, positioning him as the second most senior leader within the group’s global hierarchy.
Role and Responsibilities
According to the United States Africa Command, al-Minuki “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.”
AFRICOM also described him as “the most active terrorist in the world.”
It also stated that al-Minuki had “a significant history of involvement in planning attacks and directing hostage taking.”
The Nigerian Army, in its operational statement, said al-Minuki “channelled international funding and operational guidance to terror cells across the Sahel and the Lake Chad Islands in Northern Borno.”
Terrorist Footprint
Intelligence records link al-Minuki to the 2018 Dapchi kidnapping, in which over 100 schoolgirls were abducted from a boarding school in northeastern Nigeria.
He also served as the Nigeria-based al-Furqan GDP Office Emir in 2023, overseeing ISIS-linked operations across the Sahel and West Africa, including attacks specifically targeting civilians from ethnic and religious minority communities.
Between March 2015 and early 2016, he facilitated the movement of fighters to Libya in support of ISIS operations in North Africa, intelligence records show.
Last night’s operation targeted a significant presence of ISIS fighters in Northeastern Nigeria eliminating multiple high value individuals including Abu-Bilal al-Minuki. pic.twitter.com/lNj4AMSITH
— U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) (@USAfricaCommand) May 16, 2026
The Operation That Killed Him
The mission that killed al-Minuki was conducted by troops of the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI in close coordination with the United States Africa Command, according to the Nigerian Army.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu confirmed the elimination in a statement on May 16, 2026.
“Early assessments confirm the elimination of the wanted IS senior leader, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, along with several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin,” Tinubu said.
The Nigerian Army stated that “Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki has been confirmed neutralised alongside several of his lieutenants and multiple combatants.”
Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, Media Information Officer for Operation HADIN KAI, said, “His elimination represents the single most consequential counter-terrorism outcome in the North East Theatre since the inception of Operation HADIN KAI.”
U.S. President Donald Trump, announcing the operation, said: “Abu-Bilal al-Minuki thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing. With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished.”
U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson added: “Make no mistake, our two nations will relentlessly pursue and neutralise terrorist threats and are committed to protecting our people and interests.”
The Nigerian Army stated that “troops are currently conducting aggressive follow-on exploitation operations to decimate identified splinter cells and prevent any attempt at reconstitution.”
