Abdul El-Sayed defies $60 Million campaign against him, wins Michigan Democratic Senate Primary

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  By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis Despite massive spending by outside groups and high-profile endorsements for his opponent, Abdul El-Sayed secured a decisive Democratic Senate primary victory and now heads into a closely watched November showdown. Abdul El-Sayed has scored one of the most closely watched political upsets of the 2026 election cycle, defeating Representative Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary despite facing more than $60 million in outside spending , much of it from pro-Israel political groups. The victory marks a significant breakthrough for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and sets up a high-stakes general election contest against Republican Mike Rogers in November. El-Sayed's campaign prevailed even after Stevens received late endorsements from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and influential national Democrats, including Representative James Clyburn . Those endorsements failed to reverse momentum behind El-S...
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Trump says U.S. kills Islamic State leader in Nigeria



By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Sulaimani, Iraq | 15 May 2026— Kurdish Policy Analysis 

 Donald Trump announced that U.S. and Nigerian forces killed ISIS second-in-command Abu-Bilal al-Minuki in a major counterterrorism operation in Africa, marking one of the biggest blows to Islamic State networks in 2026. 

President Trump announced Friday evening that U.S. and Nigerian military forces had killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a leader of the Islamic State group, in a "meticulously planned and very complex mission."

Mr. Trump described al-Minuki as the Islamic State's second-in-command globally and "the most active terrorist in the world."

"He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans," Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. "With his removal, ISIS's global operation is greatly diminished."

A native of Nigeria, al-Minuki was described by the U.S. State Department in 2023 as a leader of the Islamic State, or ISIS, in Africa's Sahel region. At the time, he served as a senior official in one of the Islamic State's General Directorate of Provinces offices, which "provide operational guidance and funding around the world," according to the State Department.

He was placed on the Treasury Department's specially designated global terrorist list in 2023, hitting him with steep sanctions.

The Islamic State has diminished significantly since the U.S., its regional allies, Iran and other forces wrested large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria from the group's control starting in 2017. But the U.S.-designated terrorist group and its affiliates have remained present in parts of the Middle East and Africa since then, carrying out insurgent attacks.

The group's West Africa branches have a presence in Nigeria and in the Sahel, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Suspected attacks by the Islamic State have been reported in all four countries in recent months, including an offensive on a military base in Nigeria and clashes with other Islamist groups, according to the International Crisis Group.

Mr. Trump ordered an earlier round of strikes on Islamic State targets in Nigeria in Christmas Day last year. The U.S. military's Africa Command said "multiple ISIS terrorists" were killed in camps.

The president pressed Nigeria last fall to take more action against terrorism, accusing the country of failing to deal with rampant violence against Christians. The Nigerian government has denied that the country allows religious persecution, and analysts say large numbers of Muslims and Christians have been harmed by insurgency in northern Nigeria.

#Trump #ISIS #Nigeria #Counterterrorism #WarOnTerror #Africa #USMilitary #IslamicState #Geopolitics #Security #WestAfrica #BreakingNews

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