INTERNACIONAL
ISIS terror leader at large after US strike kills top commander amid rising Africa threat: analyst
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Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, ISIS’s shadow commander in West Africa, was killed May 16 using what an extremism analyst describes as one of the hardest forms of intelligence to detect, after decades being shielded by «deep local networks» across the region.
While the killing dealt one of the biggest blows to ISIS’s global network in years, disrupting operations in northeastern Nigeria, the terror group’s top leader, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, remains at large as Africa becomes the movement’s global epicenter.
«There is no single ISIS ‘headquarters’ in Nigeria; ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) operates dozens of small, shifting camps scattered across the Lake Chad islands and the Borno bush,» Dr. Omar Mohammed, Senior Research Fellow at the GW Program on Extremism, told Fox News Digital.
«Al-Minuki would have had no smartphones, relying instead on courier-based communications and constant movement between these small camps,» he said.
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Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, ISIS’s shadow commander in West Africa, was killed May 16. (Pictures from History/Universal Images Group)
President Donald Trump’s explicit reference to «sources who kept us informed» points directly to human intelligence, or HUMINT — the hardest form of intelligence for a target to detect or counter, Mohammed explained.
The precision strike successfully penetrated defenses that had been held for years.
«He would have utilized deep local networks the Nigerian military has struggled to penetrate for over a decade,» Mohammed added.
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«His operational security would have been severe,» Mohammed said. «But two things eventually undo even careful targets: time generates patterns, and human sources are extremely difficult to defeat.»
«Despite severe operational security, al-Minuki was ultimately compromised through persistent human intelligence,» he noted. «Al-Minuki knew he was marked.»
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ISIS caliph Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi is believed to have fled to Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post)
The Nigerian army described the strike as «a meticulously planned and highly complex precision air-land operation» carried out Saturday between midnight and 4 a.m. in Metele, located in Borno State in northeast Nigeria.
U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, placed the strike in northeastern Nigeria, with Nigerian army communications pointing specifically to the Metele region.
Despite the tactical success, the current ISIS «caliph,» or overall leader, remains on the run, according to reports.
Al-Qurashi was «named following his predecessor’s death in Syria,» Mohammed claimed.
«He is deliberately faceless, with analysts describing this line of leaders as the ‘caliphs of the shadows,’» Mohammed said, noting al-Qurashi assumed leadership after Turkish authorities killed his predecessor in 2023.
While al-Qurashi’s exact location is unknown, reports indicate he traveled from Syria or Iraq through Yemen to Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region.
«This is where the financial hub also sits, meaning the entire center of gravity of the organization — leadership, finance, operational direction — has been quietly relocating to Africa for years,» Mohammed said.
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«Africa has transitioned from a peripheral theater to the operational and financial center of global ISIS activity,» Dr. Omar Mohammed, Senior Research Fellow at the GW Program on Extremism, explained to Fox News Digital. (Jaron Willis/AFRICOM)
Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project confirms this regional shift, showing more than two-thirds of all Islamic State global activity now takes place in Africa.
«Africa has transitioned from a peripheral theater to the operational and financial center of global ISIS activity,» Mohammed explained. «Africa is no longer a peripheral theater. It is the main one. Funding is overwhelmingly local and extractive — taxation, ransom, smuggling — which is precisely why these networks are so resilient.»
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«Al-Minuki, for example, rose through ISWAP and operated across the Lake Chad Basin and into the wider Sahel,» he noted.
«Still, staking out al-Minuki is the most significant blow to ISIS’ global leadership architecture since the al-Baghdadi raid in 2019, executed in the theater that has quietly become the group’s beating heart,» Mohammed said before adding the strike was «not a one-off kinetic moment.»
iraq, isis, africa, terrorism, syria
INTERNACIONAL
American rescue teams pull infant alive from rubble in Venezuela days after devastating twin earthquakes
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American search-and-rescue teams pulled an infant alive from beneath the rubble in Venezuela days after the country’s devastating earthquakes, the U.S. Department of State said Saturday.
The State Department shared video on social media showing U.S. personnel pulling the infant from the rubble as rescue crews continued searching for survivors more than 72 hours after two powerful earthquakes struck the South American country.
The rescue came as emergency crews raced against time to locate survivors before the critical rescue window closes.
«Against impossible odds, hope endures,» the State Department posted on X.
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American search-and-rescue teams rescued an infant trapped beneath the rubble following this week’s deadly earthquakes in Venezuela, according to the State Department. (Department of State)
«American search and rescue teams rescued an infant from beneath the rubble following the earthquake in Venezuela,» the post continued. «Every life saved is a victory.»
The White House also shared the video, calling it «America at its best.»
«Thank you to the American search and rescue teams providing assistance in Venezuela,» the White House wrote.
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Rescue workers search through the rubble three days after earthquakes struck Catia la Mar, Venezuela. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
Round-the-clock rescue efforts have continued since magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast Wednesday.
As of Saturday evening, officials said the death toll from the twin earthquakes had reached 1,430.
Earlier Saturday, officials reported that 243 people had been rescued.
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Rescue personnel with a rescue dog assist in rescue efforts after earthquakes hit the country, in La Guaira, Venezuela, Saturday. (REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)
According to The Associated Press, more than 68,000 people remain missing across the country.
Aid groups consider the first 48 to 72 hours after a disaster to be the most critical window for finding survivors, though access to food and water can extend that period.
Venezuelan officials said 17 flights carrying more than 1,600 rescue personnel had arrived Saturday to assist with search-and-rescue efforts.
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Members of the County of Los Angeles Fire Department’s international urban search and rescue team (USA-2) prepare to leave for Venezuela, in Pacoima, Calif., on Thursday. (Blake Fagan/AFP via Getty Images)
Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from Virginia, California and Florida were dispatched to Venezuela on Friday to help search collapsed buildings.
According to the State Department, the three USAR teams include 312 personnel and 18 canine teams, including firefighters, physicians, structural engineers and canine search specialists. The teams also deployed more than 200,000 pounds of specialized rescue equipment.
The Los Angeles County team includes 73 members equipped with concrete-breaking equipment and specialized listening devices used to detect survivors trapped beneath debris.
COLORADO AVALANCHE VICTIM RESCUED IN DRAMATIC VIDEO
Responders search for victims in a demolished building in Caracas, Venezuela, after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake and a 7.5 aftershock struck the region. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
Rescuers have fanned out across La Guaira, where the worst destruction occurred, and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and victims from the rubble.
The United States has pledged $150 million in emergency assistance and support for international relief organizations responding to the disaster.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for additional information on the rescue.
Fox News Digital’s James Cirrone, and The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
aftermath disasters, aftermath, disaster response disasters, missing persons, virginia, earthquakes, world
INTERNACIONAL
La policía de Austin arresta a dos sospechosos por el asesinato de un mecánico nicaragüense
La Policía de Austin reportó la detención de dos hombres como presuntos responsables del asesinato de José Salgado Amador, un mecánico nicaragüense que falleció tras recibir un disparo durante un intento de robo en un estacionamiento de la ciudad.
La investigación por la muerte de José Salgado Amador, ocurrida el pasado 15 de junio en Austin, continúa bajo la supervisión de la Unidad de Homicidios del Departamento de Policía de Austin (APD). De acuerdo con la información divulgada por las autoridades y recogida por Univisión, Israel Medina, de 19 años, y David Pérez, de 26, fueron arrestados como sospechosos del crimen que sacudió a la comunidad nicaragüense en Texas.
Según informó Univisión, los hechos se registraron alrededor de las 22:47 horas en el estacionamiento de una tienda AutoZone situada en East Riverside Drive. Salgado Amador se encontraba realizando reparaciones mecánicas cuando uno de los agresores se le acercó y presuntamente intentó despojarlo de sus pertenencias. Tras el forcejeo, el sospechoso disparó contra la víctima y huyó del lugar antes de que llegaran los servicios de emergencia.
La policía de Austin detalló que Salgado Amador fue trasladado a un hospital cercano, donde falleció poco más de una hora después a causa de las heridas. El caso se convirtió en el homicidio número 27 registrado en la ciudad durante 2026, según los datos oficiales citados por Univisión.
De acuerdo con el reporte de las autoridades, Israel Medina enfrenta cargos de asesinato capital, una figura penal que en Texas contempla la posibilidad de pena de muerte o cadena perpetua sin libertad condicional. Medina se encontraba en libertad bajo fianza tras una acusación previa por robo de automóvil cuando ocurrió el homicidio. Por su parte, David Pérez está acusado de robo agravado.
El Departamento de Policía de Austin no ha confirmado si existen más personas vinculadas al caso ni ha proporcionado información adicional sobre el móvil del crimen, más allá del intento de robo señalado en las primeras diligencias. Las autoridades cuentan con grabaciones de cámaras de seguridad y han solicitado colaboración ciudadana para fortalecer la investigación.
La muerte de José Salgado Amador provocó conmoción entre quienes integran la comunidad nicaragüense en Texas. Según reportó Univisión, la familia del mecánico, que deja a una esposa y una hija de cuatro años, inició los trámites para la repatriación de sus restos a Nicaragua. El velatorio se programó para el 25 de junio en Austin, antes del traslado final al país de origen del fallecido. Univisión informó que los familiares esperan poder sepultarlo junto a sus padres y allegados en su ciudad natal.
La comunidad nicaragüense en Estados Unidos alcanza unas 839,600 personas, una cifra que integra tanto a residentes de larga data como a migrantes que han arribado en los últimos años por distintas vías, incluyendo programas migratorios y rutas irregulares. La distribución geográfica de esta población muestra una concentración destacada en dos estados principales:
Florida representa el principal destino para los nicaragüenses en el país. El área metropolitana de Miami y, en particular, la ciudad de Sweetwater —conocida popularmente como “Little Managua”— reúnen a una parte significativa de esta comunidad, que ha establecido una red social, cultural y económica sólida.
California acoge al segundo grupo más numeroso de nicaragüenses, con presencia relevante en ciudades como Los Ángeles, San Francisco, San Diego y San José. En estos centros urbanos, la población nicaragüense ha conformado comunidades activas, manteniendo tradiciones y vínculos con su país de origen.
El crecimiento reciente de la comunidad responde a factores migratorios y a la búsqueda de mejores oportunidades. Esta dinámica ha reforzado la presencia nicaragüense en el panorama migratorio de Estados Unidos, con un impacto notable en la vida social y económica de las regiones donde se asientan.
manos,esposas,prisión,barrotes,encarcelamiento,reclusión
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