United States President Donald Trump has announced that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, identified as the second-in-command of the Islamic State (ISIS), has been killed in Nigeria during a coordinated military operation involving Nigerian and American forces.
Trump described the operation as a “complex mission” executed under his direction, saying it targeted one of the most active terrorist figures globally.
He made the disclosure in a post shared on social media in the early hours of Saturday.
“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.
He added that al-Minuki believed he could evade capture by hiding in Africa.
“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 its cooperation in the operation.
Nigeria has recently expanded security collaboration with the United States following the re-designation of the country as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC).
