U.S. President Donald Trump and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have revealed that a joint military operation between both countries has led to the killing of a senior Islamic State commander in northeastern Nigeria,
The militant, identified as Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, was described by both leaders as the second-in-command of Islamic State globally.
Trump announced the operation in a post on Truth Social late Friday, saying American and Nigerian forces had carried out a “meticulously planned and very complex mission” targeting the militant leader in Africa.
“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.
In a statement posted on X on Saturday, Tinubu said preliminary assessments confirmed that al-Minuki and several of his lieutenants were killed during a strike on their compound in the Lake Chad Basin.
Tinubu described the mission as “a significant example of effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism,” adding that the operation dealt a major blow to Islamic State networks operating in the region.
The Nigerian Army said the strike was carried out in Metele in coordination with United States Africa Command.
According to the military, troops conducted a precision air-and-ground operation beginning shortly after midnight on Saturday and concluding around 4 a.m., with no casualties reported among Nigerian or U.S. personnel.
The operation formed part of Nigeria’s broader counter-insurgency campaign against militant groups operating in the northeast, including Boko Haram and its splinter faction, Islamic State West Africa Province.
Borno State has been at the centre of a 17-year insurgency that has killed thousands of people and displaced more than two million residents.
The U.S. government designated al-Minuki, a Nigerian national, as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in 2023 under the administration of former President Joe Biden, according to the U.S. Federal Register.
The United States has increased military cooperation with Nigeria amid growing Islamist insurgencies across West Africa. Washington carried out strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria in December and has since deployed drones and about 200 troops to provide intelligence and training support to Nigerian forces.
Nigerian military officials have previously said U.S. personnel deployed in the country are operating strictly in non-combat roles.
source: reuters
