United States President Donald Trump has announced the killing of a senior ISIS commander, Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, in an operation carried out jointly by American forces and the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Trump made the announcement in a post on X, describing Al-Minuki as the second-in-command of ISIS globally and confirming that the mission was executed at his direction.
“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.
The US President said intelligence sources had monitored Al-Minuki’s movements ahead of the operation, adding that the ISIS commander had believed he could evade detection by sheltering 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 said.
Trump claimed the killing would significantly weaken ISIS operations worldwide and reduce threats against Americans and people across the African continent. He also thanked the Nigerian government for its role in the mission.
“He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans. With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished,” he added.Al-Minuki had been listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US government in 2023, under the administration of former President Joe Biden, over his ties to the Islamic State.
