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Nigerian Defence Minister Christopher Musa has said the recent killing of a senior Islamic State commander has caused confusion within the terrorist network and significantly degraded its operational capabilities.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with News Central, Musa described the death of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki as a major blow to the group, which had sought to turn Africa into its new frontier.
“They (ISIS) wanted to turn especially Africa as the new frontier for them. And so taking him out now has actually affected their ability and capabilities to continue to fight. And it has caused a lot of confusion within their ranks,” Musa said.
The commander was killed on May 16 during a joint operation by Nigerian and United States forces in the Lake Chad Basin region.
US President Donald Trump identified al-Minuki as the “second in command of ISIS globally” and “the most active terrorist in the world”.
The Defence Headquarters confirmed that the precision strike was conducted under a newly established US-Nigeria intelligence-sharing and counter-terrorism partnership.
Al-Minuki was described by the military as a key ISIS operational strategist who coordinated media operations, economic warfare, and the production of weapons, explosives and drones for ISIS affiliates outside Nigeria.
According to intelligence reports, al-Minuki had been elevated to head the General Directorate of States, making him one of the most senior figures within the global ISIS hierarchy.
He had been declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by Washington in 2023. Before pledging allegiance to ISIS in 2015, he was a prominent commander within Boko Haram.
