US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that American forces, in a joint operation with the Nigerian military, have eliminated Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of ISIS.
Detailing the operation on Truth Social, Trump stated that the mission was carried out at his direction, describing it as a flawlessly executed and highly complex operation to remove one of the world's most active terrorists from the battlefield. He added that while al-Minuki believed he could remain hidden in Africa, intelligence sources had kept the military informed of his movements.
Welcoming the development, the US President remarked that al-Minuki would no longer be able to terrorise people across Africa or orchestrate operations targeting American citizens. He noted that the operative's removal has significantly diminished ISIS's global capabilities, while also expressing gratitude to the Nigerian government for its partnership in the mission.
Also known as Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al-Mainuki, the high-ranking terrorist operative was primarily based in the Sahel region, a vast semi-arid belt stretching 5,900 kilometres across the continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. Based on the Counter Extremism Project, it is noted that al-Minuki was an influential leader and one of the commanders of ISWAP, and also led the operations of the Lake Chad branch under ISIS’s General Directorate of Provinces.
Being considered a critical person for facilitating the financial support and strategy for terror cells in the region, he has already been identified as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Department of State in June 2023.
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