UNITED States President Donald Trump has announced that American and Nigerian forces killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as the “second in command” global leader of the Islamic State group, during a joint counterterrorism operation in Africa.
News Point Nigeria Weekend reports that in a statement posted Friday on his Truth Social platform and signed by Trump, himself, the US president said the operation was carried out successfully by American troops working alongside the Nigerian 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,” Trump stated.
According to him, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, who had been sanctioned by the United States in 2023 over alleged ties to the Islamic State group, believed he could evade capture while operating 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,” Trump added.
The US president further stated that the killing of al-Minuki would significantly weaken the operations of the extremist group globally.
“He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans,” Trump said. “With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished.”
Trump also expressed appreciation to the Nigerian government for what he described as its cooperation and partnership in the mission.
“I thank the government of Nigeria for their partnership on this operation,” he added.
The operation marks another major counterterrorism collaboration between the United States and Nigeria amid continuing efforts to combat extremist groups operating across parts of Africa.
More details shortly….
