President Donald Trump has made it known that United States and Nigerian forces have jointly carried out a military operation that killed a top ISIS commander identified as Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as the terrorist group’s second-in-command globally.
Trump announced this in a post on his Truth Social platform late Friday, stating that the operation was conducted at his direction and involved what he called a “meticulously planned and very complex mission.”
He explained that the operation was executed by “brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria” and successfully eliminated what he described as “the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield.”
Trump identified the slain militant as Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, alleging that he had been hiding in Africa while coordinating terrorist activities linked to the Islamic State group.
“Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing,” Trump wrote.
He added that the ISIS leader “will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans,” stressing that the operation had significantly weakened the global network of the terrorist organisation.
“With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished,” Trump said, while also thanking the Nigerian government for its cooperation in the mission.
“Thank you to the Government of Nigeria for your partnership on this operation. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” the US president added.
The announcement marks the latest military action ordered by Trump against suspected ISIS militants operating in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa.
In December, Trump said he had authorised a “powerful and deadly strike against ISIS” in northwestern Nigeria, accusing the terrorist group of targeting and killing innocent Christians in the region.
As of the time of filing this report, Nigerian authorities had not issued an official statement confirming details of the latest operation or the reported death of the ISIS commander.
