Washington announces the elimination of a leader of the "Islamic State" in Nigeria

The United States and Nigeria announced a "highly complex and meticulously planned" joint military operation that resulted in the death of Abu Bilal al-Manouki, whom Washington and Nigeria describe as the second man in the Islamic State's global leadership  and one of its most active elements.

The operation took place in the Lake Chad basin, an area that in recent years has become a centre of gravity for the group's activity in sub-Saharan Africa.

According to the American version, the elimination of al-Manouki represents a direct blow to the group's operational capabilities, at a time of increasing military cooperation between Washington and Abuja.

From Boko Haram to the top of the leadership pyramid

Al-Manouki was born in 1982 in the town of Mainok, Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, an area that has been plagued by an armed insurgency led by Boko Haram for 17 years.

His name rose to prominence within the group before pledging allegiance  to the Islamic State in 2015, and quickly rose through the ranks after the killing of leader Maman Nour.

Security reports indicate that his activity went beyond Nigeria's borders, as he played a role in transporting fighters to Libya in 2015 and 2016 to support the group's operations there.

His name has also been linked to the abduction of more than 100 girls from Dapchi school in 2018, according to the Nigerian military, although details of his role have not been disclosed.

As his activity expanded, al-Manouki directed the group's entities in the Sahel and West Africa, before Western reports said that he had recently been promoted to the position of head of the general administration of the states, effectively becoming the group's second man in the world.

In 2023, Washington designated him as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist."

Details of the night of the attack. And the repercussions of the strike

After months of monitoring and intelligence, Nigerian forces, in coordination with the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), carried out a precision air-ground raid just after midnight on Saturday, targeting an Islamic State enclave in the Metili area of Borno State.

The operation resulted in the death of al-Manouki, as well as other commanders, according to AFRICOM's initial assessments, without any casualties among the participating forces.

The Nigerian military confirmed that the assessment of the battle damage was still ongoing, and that operations to pursue the remaining elements were continuing.

The strike comes amid escalating U.S.-Nigerian military cooperation and a deteriorating security situation that prompted Washington in April to allow its non-essential personnel to leave Abuja.

 U.S. President Donald Trump declared the operation a success, saying that al-Manouki's absence "reduces the group's ability to plan attacks against Americans or intimidate the people of Africa," while Nigerian President Bola Tinubu called it a "severe blow" to the group.

Although the group has not yet been suspended, the operation raises questions about the extent to which its networks in Africa have been affected by the loss of one of its most prominent leaders in the region, which is its most important stronghold outside the Middle East.