President Donald Trump has announced that joint forces from the United States and Nigeria carried out a military operation that reportedly resulted in the death of a senior ISIS commander, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki.
Trump made the disclosure late Friday in a post on his Truth Social platform, describing the mission as “meticulously planned” and “very complex.”
According to the US president, the operation was conducted under his directive and involved collaboration between American troops and the Nigerian Armed Forces.
He identified Abu-Bilal al-Minuki as the Islamic State group’s second-in-command globally, alleging that the terrorist leader had been operating from Africa while coordinating international terrorist activities.
“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 stated.
He further said the operation successfully removed “the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield,” adding that the development would significantly weaken ISIS’s global network.
According to Trump, the slain commander would “no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans.”
The US president also expressed appreciation to the Nigerian government for its cooperation in the operation.
“Thank you to the Government of Nigeria for your partnership on this operation. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” he added.
As of the time of filing this report, the Federal Government of Nigeria had not issued an official statement confirming the operation or the reported death of the ISIS commander.
In December, Trump had announced that he authorised what he described as a “powerful and deadly strike against ISIS” in northwestern Nigeria, accusing the group of targeting and killing innocent Christians in the region.
