WASHINGTON: Donald Trump said on Friday that Abu Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of ISIS globally, had been eliminated during a joint operation carried out by US and Nigerian forces.
In a post on , Trump said: “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.”
He added that “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 also thanked the Nigerian government for cooperating with the United States in the operation.
Nigeria had previously faced criticism from Trump, who accused the country of allowing the persecution of Christians — allegations the Nigerian government has denied.
Last year on Christmas Day, the United States carried out strikes on what it described as militant bases in northwestern Nigeria after Trump made those accusations.
Meanwhile, Bola Tinubu and Nigeria’s military confirmed that al-Minuki was killed in Nigeria during a joint operation involving Nigerian and 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.”