US President Donald Trump said Saturday that a joint military operation by US and Nigerian forces had eliminated the second-in-command of the extremist militant group Islamic State (IS).
According to Reuters, Trump said in a Truth Social post that "tonight, at my direction, brave US and Nigerian forces flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and highly complex operation to eliminate from the battlefield a terrorist who had been actively operating around the world," adding that the IS number two, Abu Bilal al-Minuki, had been killed in action.
"Al-Minuki thought he could hide in Africa, but he didn't know that we had informants who knew exactly what he was doing," Trump said. Al-Minuki had previously been added to the Specially Designated Global Terrorists list during the Biden administration in 2023.
"He will no longer be able to terrorize the people of Africa or assist in planning operations targeting Americans," Trump added. "His elimination has significantly reduced IS's global operations."
Trump has hinted at the possibility of military intervention in Nigeria, where attacks by Islamic extremist militant groups frequently occur, citing the persecution of Christians in the country.
US forces had previously conducted airstrikes on IS strongholds in Nigeria in coordination with Nigerian forces on Christmas Day, December 25 of last year, also at Trump's direction.
