The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has officially confirmed the death of one of its senior figures, Abu-Bilal al-Mainuki, in a recent United States Special Forces operation targeting the group’s positions in the Lake Chad region of North-East Nigeria.
In a statement released via its media channels, ISWAP described members of its media unit killed in the raid as “martyrs” while acknowledging the loss of al-Mainuki.
The group portrayed the operation as a significant effort by “crusader America” to eliminate a key operative.
The confirmation comes about two weeks after a coordinated US special operations mission struck an ISWAP media and command facility deep in the Lake Chad basin forests.
The operation reportedly involved precision airborne assault, surveillance drones, intelligence assets, and attack aircraft aimed at high-value targets.
According to reports, at least three foreign ISIS elements and several women attached to the insurgent camp were killed in the strike.
ISWAP’s statement claimed that US forces had tracked Abu-Bilal al-Mainuki for six months using various drones before launching a large-scale multi-point airborne operation involving heavy gunfire.
The group mocked the effort as an attempt by American forces to capture “a single Muslim man in the jungles of Africa.”
“And ponder, O servants of Allah, what prompted crusader America to cross all these distances all the way to these forests,” the statement read.
The development follows earlier announcements by US and Nigerian authorities confirming the elimination of al-Mainuki, described by some as a high-ranking ISIS-linked commander in the Lake Chad Basin, in a joint counterterrorism operation.
ISWAP remains one of the most active jihadist factions operating in the Lake Chad region, which spans parts of Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon.
The group continues to pose a significant security threat despite sustained military pressure from regional and international forces.
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