Washington, May 16 (UNI) US President Donald Trump announced that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) globally, was killed in a joint military operation carried out by American and Nigerian forces.
Al-Minuki was designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by Washington in 2023.
The Nigerian military has yet to comment on the reported raid. If confirmed, his death would mark another major blow to the Islamic State group (IS), following the killing of its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in 2019.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the operation was “meticulously planned” and targeted al-Minuki in Africa, where he was allegedly hiding.
“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.
He added, “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 al-Minuki’s death would significantly weaken ISIS’s global operations and thanked the Nigerian government for its cooperation.
“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. Thank you to the Government of Nigeria for your partnership on this operation,” he said.
The US President, however, did not disclose the exact location of the operation.
Al-Minuki, also known as Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mainuki, was designated a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” by the US State Department in 2023 during the administration of former President Joe Biden. According to US records, he was linked to ISIS operations across Africa, particularly through the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), active in the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel region.
The terrorist group has been blamed for several attacks in Nigeria and neighbouring countries. Last month, ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack in Nigeria’s Adamawa state that reportedly killed at least 29 people.
United States had increased its military support to Nigeria after carrying out strikes against ISIS-linked terrorists in northwest Nigeria in December last year. Washington has since deployed drones and around 200 troops to assist Nigerian forces with training and intelligence support, though Nigerian officials said US troops were operating in a non-combat role.
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