[61786] US President Trump announced: 'Terrorist No. 2' in ISIS Africa branch eliminated

US President announced the elimination of an ISIS senior leader in Africa

US President Donald Trump announced today (May 16, 2026) on the social network Truth Social that US special forces, in cooperation with the Nigerian military, eliminated Abu-Bilaal al-Minuki, defined as the "most active terrorist in the world" and the second person in the command hierarchy of the ISIS terrorist organization.

According to the report in КОНТЕКСТ, Trump defined the operation as a "carefully planned and highly complex mission." The President noted that "He [al-Minuki] will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or assist in planning operations against Americans," and added that the elimination will lead to a "significant weakening" of the organization's activities worldwide. The channel Дождь emphasized that Trump revealed that American intelligence had sources tracking the senior leader's steps while he was hiding in Africa.

Russian sources such as RT на русском and Соловьёв, which are usually identified with a pro-Kremlin narrative and critical of US policy, quoted the President's announcement in full while noting the fact that ISIS is defined as a terrorist organization banned in Russia. At the same time, media outlets in Israel such as 9 канал and Mignews reported the event as a significant American-Nigerian operational success against global terrorism.

In the report by BASQA NEWS, additional background was noted: Trump previously expressed sharp criticism toward the Nigerian authorities regarding their inability to protect the Christian population from Islamic extremists. However, it seems that in the current operation, close cooperation was achieved between the parties. The operation comes after Trump authorized targeted strikes against ISIS cells in Nigeria and the sending of aid forces to the region in December 2025.