Trump announces the elimination of the second IS man. American and Nigerian troops killed commander al-Minuki

United States President Donald Trump announced on Friday EST that US and Nigerian armed forces have killed a top official of the Islamic State (IS) Abu Bilal al-Minuki. TASR informs about it according to the AFP agency and Sky News television.

• Donald Trump announced the killing of the leading representative of the Islamic State, Abu Bilal.
• The operation was carried out by American troops together with the Nigerian armed forces in Africa.
• Abu Bilal al-Minuki was the second highest IS commander in the world.
• Al-Minouki came from Nigeria and commanded IS structures near Lake Chad.
• The attack came after Trump’s claims of persecution of Christians in Nigeria.

“Tonight, at my command, brave American troops and the Nigerian Armed Forces flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and highly complex operation to remove the world’s most active terrorist from the battlefield,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Intervention against the IS commander

“Abu Bilal al-Minouki, the second highest IS commander in the world, thought he could hide in Africa, but he had no idea that we had sources that informed us of his movements. He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations against Americans. His removal has significantly weakened IS’s global operations,” Trump added in the post, thanking Nigeria for its cooperation.

The poor Abu Bilal al-Minuki (44) came from Nigeria and, according to the non-profit organization The Counter Extremism Project, was a leading IS leader in the Lake Chad region. Since 2018, he allegedly held the position of regional commander within this jihadist group.

Sanctions and Trump’s accusations

The AFP adds that in 2023 he was placed on the US sanctions list due to his links to IS.

The attack followed Trump’s accusations that Christians in Nigeria are being persecuted, Sky News reports. The local government has repeatedly denied these claims.