Joint U.S.-Nigerian Operation Eliminates ISIS Second-in-Command Abu-Bilal al-Minuki
Summary A joint U.S.-Nigerian military operation in the early hours of May 16, 2026, resulted in the death of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS and a key architect of the group’s West African operations. The mission, described by both governments as a “precision air-land operation,