Security analyst and counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama has published what is believed to the first publicly available photograph of a senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commander, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, also known as Abbor Mainok, following his reported death during a joint Nigeria-United States counterterrorism operation in Metele, Borno State.
Makama said the photograph was released by sources.
The photograph, obtained exclusively by Makama from sources familiar with the operation on Sunday was reportedly taken shortly after the terrorist commander was neutralised during an intelligence-led military action targeting senior ISWAP leadership in the Lake Chad region.
According to the report, sources said the image represents the first known photograph of al-Minuki since he joined the Boko Haram insurgency years ago and rose through the ranks to become one of ISWAP’s most wanted and elusive commanders.
According to security officials, al-Minuki had remained largely invisible to security agencies and the public throughout his years within the insurgency, with no verified photographs of him previously available despite his prominence within the terrorist organisation.
Intelligence sources told Makama that the image was taken by fighters who recovered the body and bury him two days after.
The photograph is expected to provide further confirmation of the identity of the slain commander and offer rare insight into one of the insurgency’s most secretive figures.
Late on Friday, May 15, 2026, United States President Donald Trump announced that American and Nigerian forces had jointly carried out a military operation that killed a senior Islamic State (ISIS) commander, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as the terrorist group’s second-in-command globally.
Trump made the disclosure in a post on his Truth Social platform, saying the operation was conducted on his directive and involved what he described as a “meticulously planned and very complex mission.”
“Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield,” Trump wrote.
Trump named the target as “Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally,” adding: “He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans.”
According to documents from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, al-Minuki was born in 1982 in the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno, which borders Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Trump did not specify where the attack happened.
He said al-Minuki “thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing.”
He also thanked the Nigerian government for its cooperation, and said “with his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished.”
The Defence Headquarters in Abuja subsequently confirmed the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, describing him as a senior ISIS commander and one of the world’s most wanted terrorists, during a joint counterterrorism operation conducted by Nigerian and U.S. forces.
In a statement issued on Saturday by Major General Samaila Uba, the military said al-Minuki was linked to several high-profile terrorist activities, including the abduction of more than 100 schoolgirls from Dapchi, Yobe State, in 2018.
The victims included Leah Sharibu, who remains in captivity.
Zagazola Obtains First-Ever Photo of ISWAP Commander Abu-Bilal al-Minuki After Joint Nigeria-U.S. Operation
By Zagazola Makama
Sources have released what is believed to be the first publicly available photograph of a senior Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) commander, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, also known as Abbor Mainok, following his reported death during a joint Nigeria-United States counterterrorism operation in Metele, Borno State.
The photograph, obtained exclusively by Zagazola Makama from sources familiar with the operation on Sunday was reportedly taken shortly after the terrorist commander was neutralised during an intelligence-led military action targeting senior ISWAP leadership in the Lake Chad region.
Sources said the image represents the first known photograph of al-Minuki since he joined the Boko Haram insurgency years ago and rose through the ranks to become one of ISWAP’s most wanted and elusive commanders.
According to security officials, al-Minuki had remained largely invisible to security agencies and the public throughout his years within the insurgency, with no verified photographs of him previously available despite his prominence within the terrorist organisation.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the image was taken by fighters who recovered the body and bury him two days after.
The photograph is expected to provide further confirmation of the identity of the slain commander and offer rare insight into one of the insurgency’s most secretive figures.
