US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that Abu Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of ISIS globally, had been killed during a joint military operation carried out by American and Nigerian forces.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the mission was launched under his direction and involved both US troops and Nigeria’s armed forces.
“Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield.
“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 also praised the Nigerian government for cooperating in the operation.
The announcement comes months after Trump accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from persecution — allegations the Nigerian government rejected.
In December last year, the United States carried out strikes on what it described as militant bases in northwestern Nigeria following Trump’s criticism.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu and the country’s military later confirmed al-Minuki’s death, saying the operation had been jointly conducted with US forces.
“Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States, conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State,” Tinubu said in a statement.
Nigeria’s defence forces described Abu Bilal al-Minuki as a “senior ISIS leader and one of the world’s most active terrorists”.
