(SeaPRwire) –   Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the shadow commander of ISIS in West Africa, was eliminated on May 16 via a method that an extremism analyst identifies as one of the most difficult types of intelligence for targets to detect—following years of protection by “deep local networks” throughout the region.

Though this elimination struck one of the most significant blows to ISIS’s global network in recent years, disrupting activities in northeastern Nigeria, the terrorist group’s top leader, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, remains at large as Africa emerges as the movement’s global hub.

“There isn’t a single ISIS headquarters in Nigeria; ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) runs dozens of small, mobile camps spread across the Lake Chad islands and the Borno wilderness,” Dr. Omar Mohammed, Senior Research Fellow at the GW Program on Extremism, told Digital.

“Al-Minuki likely did not use smartphones, instead depending on courier-driven communication and frequent travel between these small camps,” he said.

President Donald Trump’s clear mention of “sources who kept us informed” directly refers to human intelligence (HUMINT), which is the most challenging type of intelligence for a target to spot or counteract, Mohammed clarified.

The precision strike managed to break through defenses that had been in place for years.

“He likely used deep local networks that the Nigerian military has found it hard to penetrate for more than a decade,” Mohammed added.

“His operational security was likely strict,” Mohammed stated. “But two factors eventually bring down even cautious targets: time creates patterns, and human sources are very hard to overcome.”

“Even with strict operational security, al-Minuki was finally exposed via consistent human intelligence,” he pointed out. “Al-Minuki was aware he was a target.”

The Nigerian army characterized the strike as “a carefully planned and highly complex precision air-land operation” conducted on Saturday between midnight and 4 a.m. in Metele, a town in Borno State in northeastern Nigeria.

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the strike occurred in northeastern Nigeria, while Nigerian army communications specified the Metele area.

In spite of this tactical victory, the current ISIS “caliph”—or overall leader—continues to be at large, per reports.

Al-Qurashi was “appointed after his predecessor died in Syria,” Mohammed asserted.

“He intentionally keeps his identity hidden, with analysts referring to this series of leaders as the ‘caliphs of the shadows,’” Mohammed said, adding that al-Qurashi took over leadership after Turkish authorities killed his predecessor in 2023.

Although al-Qurashi’s precise whereabouts are unclear, reports suggest he journeyed from Syria or Iraq through Yemen to Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region.

“This is also where the financial hub is located, which means the entire core of the organization—leadership, finance, operational guidance—has been quietly moving to Africa over the past several years,” Mohammed explained.

Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project supports this regional shift, revealing that over two-thirds of all global Islamic State activity now occurs in Africa.

“Africa has moved from being a secondary theater to the operational and financial heart of global ISIS activity,” Mohammed said. “Africa is no longer a peripheral area; it’s the primary one. Funding is mostly local and comes from extractive activities—taxation, ransom payments, smuggling—which is exactly why these networks are so tough to break.”

“Al-Minuki, for instance, climbed the ranks in ISWAP and operated across the Lake Chad Basin and into the broader Sahel region,” he noted.

“Even so, targeting al-Minuki is the most impactful hit to ISIS’ global leadership structure since the 2019 al-Baghdadi raid, which took place in the theater that has quietly become the group’s core,” Mohammed stated, then added that the strike was “not an isolated military action.”