ISIS Commander Abu-Bilal al-Minuki’s Identity Confirmed, No Doubt Over Killing — DHQ

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has clarified that there is no ambiguity over the identity of ISIS commander, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, who was killed during a joint military operation involving the United States Africa Command on May 16, 2026.

The Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, gave the clarification on Saturday amid public debate over reports linking the name to a previous counterterrorism operation in 2024.

He explained that the recurrence of similar or identical names among terrorist elements in the North-East and Lake Chad Basin has contributed to public confusion.

According to him, such naming patterns are common among ISWAP and Boko Haram fighters as part of their indoctrination and efforts to conceal real identities.

“This fact has been established over the years in the course of counterterrorism operations in the North-East of Nigeria,” he said.

Maj. Gen. Uba confirmed that the Abu-Bilal al-Minuki killed in the latest operation was positively identified through both human intelligence and technical surveillance as a senior ISIS global operative.

He said the slain commander had established links to international terrorist coordination, funding channels, and operational activities across the Sahel region.

“There is therefore no ambiguity in his identity,” he stressed, describing the operation as a significant milestone in ongoing counterterrorism efforts.

He added that the Armed Forces of Nigeria, in collaboration with U.S. Africa Command, remain committed to dismantling terrorist networks and will continue to issue verified information through official channels.

The DHQ also urged the public to rely strictly on official sources to avoid confusion arising from similarities in terrorist aliases.