US President Donald Trump has announced that American and Nigerian forces have killed the Islamic State's global second-in-command, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki. Trump described him as the 'most active terrorist in the world' and said the operation was a 'very complex mission'.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump said: '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.' He added that al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, had been placed under US sanctions in 2023 for ties to the Islamic State group.
Trump thanked the Nigerian government for its partnership but did not disclose the location or method of the attack. Al-Minuki was designated a 'specially designated global terrorist' by the Biden administration in 2023, with the State Department calling him a Sahel-based IS senior leader involved in providing operational guidance and funding worldwide.
The US has previously carried out strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria and deployed drones and 200 troops to provide training and intelligence support to the Nigerian military. Nigerian officials have said US forces operate in a strictly non-combat role.
