Trump says U.S. kills Islamic State leader in Nigeria

Politics Trump says U.S. kills Islamic State leader in Nigeria By Joe Walsh Joe Walsh Senior Editor, Politics Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston. Read Full Bio Joe Walsh May 16, 2026 / 12:03 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google President Trump announced Friday evening that U.S. and Nigerian military forces had killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a leader of the Islamic State group."He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans," Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. "With his removal, ISIS's global operation is greatly diminished."A native of Nigeria, al-Minuki was described by the U.S. State Department in 2023 as a leader of the Islamic State, or ISIS. He was placed on the Treasury Department's specially designated global terrorist list, hitting him with steep sanctions.This is a breaking story; it will be updated. .component--type-recirculation { .item:nth-child(7), .card-recirc:nth-child(7) { display: none; } } #inline-recirc-item--id-99b9bb1c-b083-41f5-8e0d-bc9290cae1bb, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-99b9bb1c-b083-41f5-8e0d-bc9290cae1bb { display: none; } #inline-recirc-item--id-99b9bb1c-b083-41f5-8e0d-bc9290cae1bb ~ .item:nth-child(7) { display: block; } In: Nigeria Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant © 2026 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.