Abu Bilal al-Minuki, known as ISIS’s shadow commander in West Africa, was killed on May 16, ending a long period of protection he had from entrenched local networks in the area.
This killing represents a significant setback for ISIS globally, particularly affecting their activities in northeastern Nigeria. Nevertheless, the group’s top leader, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, remains at large as Africa increasingly becomes a focal point for the organization.
Dr. Omar Mohammed, a senior researcher at the GW Extremism Program, explained that there isn’t a centralized ISIS “headquarters” in Nigeria. Instead, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) operates various small, mobile camps scattered throughout Lake Chad and the Borno Forest. Al-Minuki likely communicated through couriers rather than using smartphones, constantly shifting between these locations.
President Donald Trump commented on ISIS operations in Nigeria, emphasizing the importance of human intelligence, or HUMINT, which is notoriously hard for organizations to counter.
The airstrike that killed al-Minuki was described by the Nigerian military as a “meticulously planned and highly complex operation,” occurring between midnight and 4 a.m. in the Metele region of Borno state. U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) was involved in the offensive in northeastern Nigeria, coordinating the military’s efforts specifically towards the Metele area.
Despite this tactical victory, the current ISIS caliph, al-Qurashi, remains elusive. Al-Qurashi took leadership after his predecessor was killed in Turkey in 2023, and he has been carefully evading capture, reportedly hiding in Somalia’s Puntland region. As operations shift, it appears that Africa, once a peripheral region, is now central to ISIS’s leadership, finances, and strategies.
Data indicates that over two-thirds of ISIS’s global operations are now centered in Africa, where local financing—through taxes, ransoms, and smuggling—fuels the group’s resilience. Al-Minuki’s removal is seen as the most significant disruption to ISIS’s leadership since the death of al-Baghdadi in 2019, marking a critical moment in the ongoing conflict. Mohammed suggests that this strike is not merely a singular event but rather part of a larger pattern showing the group’s ongoing challenges.
