Trump says Islamic State group leader was killed in a joint U.S.-Nigerian mission

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. World Trump says Islamic State group leader was killed in a joint U. -Nigerian mission May 16, 20264:23 AM ET By The Associated Press President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One, Friday, May 15, 2026, as he returns from a trip to Beijing, China. Mark Schiefelbein/AP hide caption toggle caption Mark Schiefelbein/AP WASHINGTON — U.

and Nigerian forces killed a leader of the Islamic State group in Nigeria in a mission carried out Friday, U. President Donald Trump said. Middle East conflict Wives and children of foreign ISIS fighters stranded in Syria with no way home Trump announced the joint operation in Africa's most populous country in a late-night social media post that offered few details.

The Details

He said Abu Bakr al-Mainuki was second in command of the Islamic State group globally and "thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing. " Al-Mainuki was viewed as the key figure in IS organizing and finance, and had been plotting attacks against the United States and its interests, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share sensitive information. Sponsor Message Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed the operation and said Al-Mainuki was killed alongside "several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.

" Born in Nigeria's Borno province in 1982, al-Mainuki took the helm of the IS branch in West Africa after the group's previous leader in the region, Mamman Nur, was killed in 2018, according to the Counter Extremism Project, which tracks militant groups. Al-Mainuki was based in the Sahel area, the monitoring group said, adding that it is believed that he fought in Libya when IS was active in the North African nation more than a decade ago. He was sanctioned by the U.

Sources & Methods Is ISIS making a comeback? Trump, in his social media announcement, said Al-Mainuki was "second in command globally," hiding in Africa, a claim that analysts say is off the mark. They say Al-Mainuki was the deputy to Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the leader of the Islamic State West African Province who was reported to have died in 2021.

What Experts Say

He is regarded as one of the central proponents of the formation of ISWAP after its split with Boko Haram in 2016. "If confirmed, the killing of Al-Mainuki is huge because this is the first time a security agency has killed someone this high in the ranking of ISWAP," Malik Samuel, a senior researcher at Good Governance Africa who specializes in insurgent groups in Nigeria, said. Sponsor Message "The potential to cause chaos within the group is also there because the operation must have been carried out in the heart of ISWAP's fortified base, which is very difficult to access.

" Trump in December directed U. forces to launch strikes against the Islamic State group in Nigeria, though he released little detail then about the impact.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.