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Donald Trump has said Abu-Bilal al Minuki, who is “second in command of Isis globally”, has been “eliminated” in Africa in a joint operation by US and Nigerian forces.
Al Minuki, 44, was “the most active terrorist in the world”, Trump said: “With his removal, Isis’s global operation is greatly diminished,”
Trump wrote on Truth Social.Al Minuki, from Nigeria, has reportedly held a regional commander position within Isis since 2018 and has been described as a hardline militant.
The joint operation by the US and Nigeria comes after the US struck what it said were Islamist bases in northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day last year. The strikes followed accusations by Trump that Christians were being persecuted in Nigeria, which the African nation’s government denies.
The news comes after Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said contradictory messages from the Trump administration “made us reluctant about the real intentions of Americans”.
“We are in doubt about their seriousness,” Araghchi said. Donald Trump claimed that he threw away Iran’s peace proposal after reading the “unacceptable” first sentence as diplomatic efforts to end the war reached a stalemate.
Iran will announce Strait of Hormuz mechanism, Iranian MP says
Iran has prepared a mechanism to manage traffic through the Strait of Hormuz along a designated route that will be unveiled soon, the head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee Ebrahim Azizi said on Saturday.
Azizi added that only commercial vessels and parties cooperating with Iran would benefit from the arrangement.
He said fees would be collected for specialised services provided under the mechanism.
Rebecca Thomas16 May 2026 20:05
Israeli bombardment on Lebanon’s southern city of Tyre
Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment on the village of Arnoun in southern Lebanon on May 16, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images).jpeg)
Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a ceasefire and hold expanded talks on a political settlement, the US announced on May 15 (AFP via Getty Images)
Rebecca Thomas16 May 2026 19:05
Why Trump’s Pentagon wants to rebrand the Iran war
The war began on February 28 under the name “Operation Epic Fury”, but efforts to bring an end to the conflict with a peace deal have stalled as neither side can agree on terms.
Trump is said to be considering further military action if Iran does not agree to a deal and reopen the key shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz.
A White House official told NBC News any fresh military combat action against Iran would be conducted under a new name and operation.
Whatever the name might be, the official said that from the Trump administration’s point of view, it would restart the 60-day clock that requires congressional approval for a war.
Rebecca Thomas16 May 2026 18:05
Chief of Hamas’ military wing killed in Isreali strike
Israel’s military on Saturday said it had killed the chief of Hamas’ military wing in an air strike on Gaza the previous day, the most senior Hamas official killed by Israel since an October U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement that was meant to halt fighting.
Mourners carry portraits of Ezzedine Al-Haddad, the slain chief of the Qassam Brigades — the armed wing of Palestinian movement Hamas, (AFP via Getty Images)
A senior Hamas official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed Izz al-Din al-Haddad, who was born in 1970, was killed in the attack. Hamas `Gaza spokesperson Hazem Qassem later said in a video statement published `on Facebook that Haddad had died, without giving further details.
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Israel said on May 15 that it carried out a strike in Gaza targeting Haddad. (AFP via Getty Images)
At Al Aqsa Martyrs Mosque in central Gaza, a joint funeral was held on Saturday for Haddad, his wife and their 19-year-old daughter. It was not immediately clear how they died.Israel carried out at least two attacks `on Gaza on Friday, killing seven Palestinians, including three women and one child, according to local medics.
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Palestinians attend the funeral of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, the leader of Hamas (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Rebecca Thomas16 May 2026 17:05
What to know about joint US-Nigeria operation that killed a senior militant leader
President Donald Trump announced that a joint operation by U.S. and Nigerian forces killed a top leader of the Islamic State group in Nigeria on Saturday.
Trump wrote in a social media post that the mission in the early hours of Saturday targeted Abu Bakr al-Mainuki, who was part of the top leadership of the local IS chapter in West Africa.
Nigeria’s government and military said the operation in the Lake Chad Basin, a stronghold of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), was the result of a recently formed partnership with the U.S government.
Abu Bakr al-Mainuki was a ‘specially designated global terrorist’. He was born in 1982 in Mainok, or Mainuki, a village in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno, the heart of an insurgency crisis following the formation of the Boko Haram militant group around 2009.
He became one of the key commanders of ISWAP following its split from Boko Haram, and was a deputy to Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the ISWAP leader who was reported to have died in 2021.
A Nigerian military spokesperson also said that recent intelligence indicated he might have been appointed as “Head of the General Directorate of States,” making him second-in-command within the global IS hierarchy, a claim also made by Trump but disputed by some analysts.
Rebecca Thomas16 May 2026 16:05
Inside the UK-led mission to open the Strait of Hormuz
Preparations are underway for a multinational mission led by Britain, which includes the deployment of a warship, Typhoon jets, and mine-hunting equipment to the Middle East, our reporter Harriette Boucher writes.
The UK, alongside France, has set out to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and has gained the support of dozens of allies to do so once conditions allow for it.
But, retired brigadier and military analyst Ben Barry said Iran will pose a threat to the UK regardless of whether fighting in the region has paused.
Chris Stevenson16 May 2026 15:04
Israel confirm killing of Hamas commander
Israel has confirmed the Hamas military commander it targeted, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, has been killed.
Yesterday, Israel said it targeted the Hamas leader in Gaza in an airstrike, although there was no immediate confirmation he was killed.
Now, in a joint statement by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency, the killing of “one of the architects of the brutal October 7th massacre” has been confirmed.
Chris Stevenson16 May 2026 14:29
Iran has enough missile capability to continue fighting should Donald Trump choose to resume the war, US and Nato intelligence has assessed – and experts say it has several more cards up its sleeve, our reporter Alex Croft writes.
The US president has repeatedly claimed that American forces have comprehensively destroyed Iran’s military, including its missile capabilities and navy, during six weeks of conflict before a ceasefire was agreed.
Intelligence agencies have warned that Iran still has access to most of its missiles and underground facilities, sources told The Independent, casting doubt over President Trump’s dubious claims that Iran has been “decimated” by the war.
Experts say Iran retains numerous options for escalation.
“Tehran’s strength lies in its asymmetric capabilities: ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, drones, naval mines, cyber operations, and proxy groups,” said Frank A Rose, the former assistant secretary of state for arms control under the Obama administration.
Chris Stevenson16 May 2026 14:01
Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, which carried one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supply before the US and Israel launched attacks at the end of February. The disruption to shipping has caused the biggest oil supply crisis in history, sending oil prices skyrocketing.
Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, said on Saturday that Tehran had prepared a mechanism to manage traffic through the strait along a designated route that would be unveiled soon.
Mr Azizi said only commercial vessels and parties cooperating with Iran would benefit, and that fees would be collected for specialised services provided under the mechanism.
Chris Stevenson16 May 2026 13:32
Fall out of Israeli bombardment on Lebanon’s southern city of Tyre
People stand by rubble and debris near damaged and collapsed buildings following overnight Israeli bombardment on Lebanon’s southern city of Tyre on May 16, 2026 (AFP via Getty Images)
The Israeli army has began striking alleged Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon just hours after the so-called ceasefire was extended for a further 45 days.
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A man stands by the door of a heavily-damaged vehicle by debris and rubble from a collapsed building following overnight Israeli bombardment on Lebanon’s southern city of Tyre on May 16, 2026 (AFP via Getty Images)
Rebecca Thomas16 May 2026 13:00