Source: Africa Publicity
US President Donald Trump and the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, have announced that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second in command of ISIS globally, has been killed in an operation jointly carried out by US and Nigerian forces in the northeast part of Nigeria.
President Trump first announced the strike in a Truth Social post late on Friday.
Truth says in a Truth Social post that “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. Abu-Bilal al-Minuki… thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing.”
And Tinubu on Saturday described the strike as a “significant example of effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism.”
The Nigerian leader stated in statement posted on X that early assessments confirmed the elimination of al-Minuki — also known as Abu-Mainok — along with several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.
Tinubu says Nigerian forces worked closely with the US military in what he called a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of ISIS. Trump, who has previously accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from extremists, thanked the Nigerian government for its partnership in the operation.
Counter-insurgency initiative
The Nigerian Army, also on X, disclosed that the strike was carried out in Metele in Borno State, where troops carried out a precision air-land operation in close coordination with US Africa Command (AFRICOM).
Borno has endured an insurgency waged by Boko Haram and its splinter group ISWAP for 17 years that has killed thousands and displaced 2 million people.
The latest operation, carried out under Nigeria’s ongoing counter-insurgency initiative, commenced at approximately 12:01 a.m. and concluded around 4 a.m. on Saturday and was executed with no casualties or loss of assets, the army says.
Al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, was designated a “specially designated global terrorist” by the Biden administration in 2023, according to the US Federal Register.
