The Joint Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), has confirmed the killing of a senior Islamic State commander, Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, during a coordinated air-land operation conducted in Metele area of Borno State.
The operation, carried out in collaboration with the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), targeted a concealed terrorist enclave within the Lake Chad Basin axis following sustained intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
Media Information Officer of OPHK, Lt.-Col. Sani Uba, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, describing the operation as a major breakthrough in ongoing counterterrorism efforts in the North-East.
According to him, the operation led to the neutralisation of Al-Minuki, also known as Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mainuki, alongside several of his lieutenants and other terrorist fighters.
Uba stated that the deceased terrorist commander was a United States-designated Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), listed in June 2023 under Executive Order 13224 for allegedly coordinating funding and operational activities for extremist networks across the Sahel and Lake Chad region.
He said, “The operation was conducted following sustained intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance efforts which identified a concealed and fortified terrorist enclave in Metele within the Lake Chad Basin axis.”
According to the statement, the mission commenced at about 12:01 a.m. and concluded around 4:00 a.m. on May 16, 2026, involving precision air strikes backed by ground assault troops.
“The operation involved precision air interdiction missions supported by ground forces, while Special Forces troops were strategically deployed to block escape routes and support the air component during the engagement,” the statement added.
Operation Hadin Kai further disclosed that the coordinated assault was executed successfully without casualties or equipment loss on the part of the military and allied forces.
“The mission was conducted successfully without casualties or equipment losses on the side of friendly forces,” Uba said.
He added that Battle Damage Assessment operations were ongoing, while follow-up exploitation missions had commenced to clear remnants of terrorist elements within the area.
The military described the killing of Al-Minuki as a significant operational success that would weaken the fighting capability and coordination structure of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and affiliated extremist cells operating within the region.
“This development marks a major breakthrough in ongoing counterterrorism operations in the North-East and is expected to significantly degrade the operational capacity of ISWAP and affiliated terrorist networks across the Lake Chad Basin,” the statement noted.
