US President Donald Trump says Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of ISIS globally, has been killed during a joint military operation involving American and Nigerian forces.
Trump disclosed this in a social media post early Saturday, saying the operation was a carefully coordinated mission carried out at his direction.
“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,” Trump wrote.
“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.
“He will no longer terrorise the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans.
“With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished.”
Trump also thanked the Nigerian government for what he described as its cooperation and partnership in the operation.
The development comes amid growing military collaboration between Nigeria and the United States following Washington’s renewed designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
In February, reports indicated that the US requested the establishment of a drone refuelling facility in Nigeria as part of broader security arrangements between both countries.
The partnership deepened in March after the US deployed MQ-9 drones and about 200 military personnel to Nigeria to support intelligence operations and provide training for Nigerian troops battling Islamist insurgents.
Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters had said the deployment would strengthen intelligence-sharing and joint military engagements against terrorist groups operating across the region.
The latest operation marks another high-profile US military action linked to Nigeria in recent months.
Last December, the US carried out coordinated strikes on terrorist camps in the Bauni forest area of Tangaza LGA in Sokoto State.
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Although early reports suggested Tomahawk cruise missiles were used in the strikes, officials later clarified that the operation was executed with drones.
Residents in parts of Sokoto and Kwara State had reported explosions during the operation, with the federal government later attributing the incidents in Kwara to debris from precision-guided munitions fired during the strike.
