United States President Donald Trump, on Saturday, May 16, announced that American forces, in conjunction with the Nigerian military, had killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a terrorist leader, who was said to be the second global leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
It was learnt that the operation was carried out around the Lake Chat basin, an area known as a terrorist spot in the country. This would be the second military operation in the country in the space of six months.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images
However, al-Minuki would be the latest world-wanted terrorist leader who would be gunned down in Nigeria since the West African country started its war against terrorism.
Below is the list of word-wanted terrorists killed in Nigeria
Abubakar Shekau
The late Boko Haram leader is also known as Abu Muhammad Abubakar bin Muhammad Shekau. He was one of the most popular globally recognised terrorists that have shaked Nigeria. Before he was gunned down, he had led the Boko Haram terrorist group for over a decade.
He was designated as a global terrorist, and a $7 million bounty was placed on him by the US. He carried out several high-profile attacks in the country, including the kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls and multiple bombings.
Shekau was killed during a clash with a rival terrorist group, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), in the Sambisa Forest in Borno in May 2021. It was reported that he detonated a bomb vest so that he would not be captured. The Nigerian officials, ISWAP fighters and loyalists later confirmed his death.
Mohammed Yusuf
Yusuf was the original founder of the deadly Boko Haram terrorist group, which was created in the early 2000s. He was also referred to as Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf or Abu Yusuf al-Barnawi. He was a radical preacher, and his ideology was the inspiration behind the insurgency.
During the Boko Haram uprising in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, in 2009, he was arrested by the Nigerian troops and handed over to the police. He reportedly died in police custody around July 2009, and his death was said to have sparked the activities of the group under Shekau.
Abu Musab al-Barnawi
Al-Barnawi was the leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which split from the Boko Haram group and swore allegiance to ISIS.
The Nigerian troop announced his killing in 2021, adding that he was a key figure in the West African ISIS affiliate.
Additionally, the Nigerian military has killed several high-profile ISWAP and Boko Haram commanders during air strikes and ground operations, but they are not on the list of the world’s most wanted.
Source: Legit.ng