Donald Trump has announced that joint forces from the United States and Nigeria conducted a military operation that killed a senior ISIS commander, described as the group’s second-in-command globally.
Trump said the operation was carried out at his direction and involved a “meticulously planned and very complex mission” executed by American forces alongside the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
According to him, the target, identified as Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, was killed during the operation and had been coordinating terrorist activities from hiding in Africa.
The US president said the ISIS leader was “the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield” and claimed his removal would significantly weaken the group’s global operations.
“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.
He added that the militant leader would no longer be able to “terrorize the people of Africa” or plan attacks against Americans, while expressing appreciation to the Nigerian government for its cooperation in the mission.
“Thank you to the Government of Nigeria for your partnership on this operation. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” he added.
However, as of the time of filing this report, Nigeria’s federal authorities had not issued any official confirmation regarding the operation or the reported killing of the ISIS commander.
In a related statement in December, Trump said he had authorised a “powerful and deadly strike against ISIS” in northwestern Nigeria, accusing the group of targeting civilians, including Christians, in the region.
