US President Donald Trump says Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as ISIS’s second-in-command globally, has been killed in Nigeria.
According to Trump, al-Minuki died during a “complex mission” involving both Nigerian and American troops.
The US president announced the development in a social media post early Saturday.
“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.
“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 terrorise the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans.
“With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished.”
Trump also expressed appreciation to the Nigerian government for its “partnership on this operation”.
US-Nigeria military cooperation
Nigeria strengthened military cooperation with the United States after Trump re-designated the country as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
In February, reports indicated that the US requested a drone refuelling station as part of the broader security partnership.
By March, the US had deployed several MQ-9 drones and about 200 troops to Nigeria to assist with training and intelligence support in operations against Islamist militants.
The Defence Headquarters said Nigerian and US forces would engage in joint training exercises and intelligence-focused cooperation initiatives.
Second high-profile US operation in Nigeria
Late last year, the US began intelligence-gathering flights across parts of Nigeria.
On Christmas Day, American forces launched strikes on two terrorist enclaves in the Bauni forest in Tangaza LGA of Sokoto State.
Initial reports claimed the attack involved more than a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a naval vessel in the Gulf of Guinea.
However, officials familiar with the mission later said the strikes were carried out using drones.
Communities in Sokoto and Kwara states reported explosions around the same period the US launched air strikes targeting ISIS militants.
The federal government later confirmed that explosions reported in Kwara were caused by debris from precision-guided munitions (PGMs) used during the operation.