Donald Trump has announced that US and Nigerian forces have killed the Islamic State group's global second-in-command, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, in what he described as a 'very complex mission'. The US president said the operation, carried out on his direction, was 'meticulously planned' and executed flawlessly by American and Nigerian armed forces.
Writing on his Truth Social platform on Friday, Mr Trump called al-Minuki 'the most active terrorist in the world' and said he had attempted to hide in Africa, but US intelligence sources had tracked his movements. 'He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans,' the president added, claiming that Islamic State's global operations had been 'greatly diminished' by his removal.
Al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, was placed under US sanctions in 2023 for his ties to the Islamic State group. At the time, the US State Department described him as a Sahel-based senior leader and a member of the group's general directorate of provinces, which provides operational guidance and funding for militants around the world.
Mr Trump thanked the Nigerian government for its partnership, though he did not disclose the precise location of the operation or the nature of the attack. Washington has previously criticised Nigeria over the protection of Christians in the north-west, with Mr Trump accusing authorities of failing to safeguard them from Islamist militants. Nigeria denies any religious discrimination, saying its security forces target all armed groups that attack both Christians and Muslims.
The announcement follows US air strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria in December, and the deployment of approximately 200 US troops along with drones to provide training and intelligence support to the Nigerian military. Nigerian officials have stressed that US forces are operating in a strictly non-combat role in the fight against Islamic State and al-Qaeda-linked insurgencies spreading across West Africa.
