By Desire Emmanuel
US President Donald Trump on Friday night said Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a high-ranking member of the “Islamic State,” was killed in a joint mission between US and Nigerian forces.
Trump said this in his Truth Social post, adding that al-Minuki was the second in command of the “Islamic State” (IS) globally.
“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. Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, second in command of ISIS…” Trump wrote.
“He will no longer terrorise the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans,” Trump added.
The US president said al-Minuki’s removal leaves IS’ global operation “greatly diminished.”
Trump expressed gratitude to the government of Nigeria for its partnership in the mission to kill al-Minuki.
Nigeria recently came under criticism from Trump, who claimed that Christians were being persecuted by Islamist militants and that the government was not doing enough to stop the violence, which Nigerian authorities have denied.
The US carried out strikes on what it alleged were Islamist bases in northwestern Nigeria on December 25 last year in the wake of the US president’s allegations.
Nigeria has seen considerable violence from a range of armed militant groups, including Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province.
