U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS globally, was killed in an operation conducted by U.S. and Nigerian 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 said on Truth Social.
He identified Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second in command of ISIS globally, saying he was targeted in Africa after intelligence tracking his movements.
Trump did not disclose the exact location of the operation in his post.
Al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, was designated a “specially designated global terrorist” by the former Biden administration in 2023, according to the U.S. Federal Register.
Trump thanked the Nigerian government for its cooperation in the operation. Nigeria, however, has consistently denied allegations of religious discrimination, saying its forces target armed groups attacking both Christians and Muslims.
The U.S. had earlier carried out strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria in December. Since then, Washington has deployed drones and around 200 troops for training and intelligence support to Nigerian forces.
U.S. officials say the deployment remains in a non-combat role, focused on supporting local counterterrorism operations against ISIS- and al Qaeda-linked groups spreading across West Africa.
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