United States President Donald Trump announced the killing of Abubakar Mainok, also known as Abu-Bilal al-Mainuki, a senior Islamic State commander. Described as the group's global second-in-command, Mainok's elimination was the result of what President Trump termed a "meticulously planned and very complex mission," executed in close partnership with Nigeria.

According to documents obtained from US registers, Mr. Mainok was specially designated as a "global terrorist" in 2023. These records traced his origin to Mainok, a town in the Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State. In a statement posted by the White House on X, Mr. Trump confirmed that al-Minuki had been tracked through intelligence sources despite his attempts to remain hidden on the continent.

President Trump praised the cooperation between the US and Nigeria, stating that the operation had removed "the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield." Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also confirmed the joint operation with the U.S. that led to the death of the ISIS commander in Nigeria.

If confirmed by the Nigerian government, the operation would mark a significant milestone in the recent counterterrorism collaboration between the United States and Nigeria. This partnership had previously led to the deployment of approximately 200 US troops to the West African country after a diplomatic faceoff between Washington and Abuja over what President Trump described as "Christian genocide."

Although the Nigerian government has not issued an official statement about the mission, sources familiar with the situation confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES, indicating that Mr. Mainok was killed in the North-east region of Nigeria.

Security analysts have long linked Mr. Mainok to the Islamic State's operations in West Africa and the Sahel. A 2023 report by the Jamestown Foundation identified him as a senior Islamic State figure responsible for coordinating activities between the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and IS-Sahel networks through the group's al-Furqan office.