US President Donald Trump said American and Nigerian forces have killed the second-in-command leader of ISIS.
Mr Trump said Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was “eliminated” after sources found him in hiding in Africa, with Nigeria’s army later confirming the operation had taken place at a compound in Metele, in the Lake Chad Basin.
“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 wrote in a post on social media.
“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.
“He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans.”
Mr Trump’s Truth Social post. (Supplied: Truth Social)
Al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, was designated as a “specially designated global terrorist” by the former Biden administration in 2023, according to the US Federal Register.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said Nigerian forces had worked closely with their US counterparts during the joint operation, describing it as “a significant example of effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism”.
In a statement posted on X, Mr Tinubu said early assessments confirmed al-Minuki — also known as Abu-Mainok — had been killed, along with several of his lieutenants.
The Nigerian Army, also on X, said the strike was carried out in Metele, in the state of Borno, and involved a precision air and land operation in close coordination with the US Africa Command (AFRICOM).
Borno has endured an insurgency waged by the Boko Haram militant group and its splinter group, Islamic State West Africa Province, for 17 years, killing thousands and displacing 2 million people.
The latest operation, carried out under Nigeria’s ongoing counter-insurgency initiative, began shortly after midnight and concluded at 4am on Saturday, and was executed with no casualties or loss of assets, the army added.
ISIS has not yet commented on any of the claims.
Nigeria has previously come under scrutiny from Mr Trump, who has accused the country of failing to protect Christians from Islamist militants, a charge the African nation’s government denies.
The US struck what it said were Islamist bases in north-western Nigeria on Christmas Day last year, following Mr Trump’s accusations.
ABC/Reuters
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