The U.S. military killed a top ISIS commander in a joint mission with Nigeria, President Donald Trump announced late Friday.
He described the mission as “meticulously planned and very complex,” resulting in the death of the “most active terrorist in the world.”
“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 wrote on Truth Social. “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.”
The president then thanked the Nigerian government for its partnership.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the terrorist’s compound was in the Lake Chad Basin, which borders Niger, Chad, and Nigeria. The terrorist leader was deemed a “specially designated global terrorist” by the State Department in 2023.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States “hunted” al-Minuki for months because he was killing Christians. In turn, Hegseth revealed, “we killed him — and his entire posse.”
In November, Trump directed the Department of War to help protect persecuted Christians in Nigeria. That order led to a December airstrike that targeted ISIS militants in the West African country.
The latest operation marks Trump’s continued commitment to protecting Christians from Islamists.
“Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was the senior ISIS General Directorate of Provinces Emir — the number two for ISIS globally — responsible for overseeing the planning of attacks, directing hostage-taking and managing financial operations,” he posted on X Saturday morning. “The removal of him and other ISIS personnel makes Americans safer by further degrading ISIS’s ability to plan and carry out attacks that threaten the U.S. homeland, American citizens, and innocent civilians.”
U.S. Africa Command oversaw the “precise” operation, Hegseth said, after it was approved by Trump in conjunction with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
AFRICOM posted a minute-long video of the aerial footage that captured the fatal strike.
The command center highlighted the “exceptional value” of the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Nigeria.
“Make no mistake, our two nations will relentlessly pursue and neutralize terrorist threats and are committed to protecting our people and interests,” U.S. Air Force Gen. and AFRICOM commander Dagvin Anderson said in a statement.
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No U.S. service members were harmed in the operation, according to AFRICOM.
Tinubu thanked Trump on social media for his “leadership and unwavering support in this effort.”