SouthernWorldwide.com – President Donald Trump announced late Friday that a joint operation between U.S. and Nigerian forces successfully eliminated a high-ranking global ISIS leader.
The individual identified was Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described by President Trump as the second-in-command of ISIS worldwide.
“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 stated in a post on Truth Social.
Trump further elaborated on the operation, stating, “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 terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans.”
This operation underscores the ongoing efforts to combat terrorism in the region, with a previous report indicating the deployment of 100 U.S. troops to Nigeria amidst growing threats from Islamic militants in West Africa.
The President expressed gratitude to the Nigerian government for their pivotal cooperation in achieving the mission’s success.
“With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished,” he added, highlighting the significant impact of al-Minuki’s elimination.
Specific operational details beyond the announcement were not immediately disclosed.
This development follows recent U.S. military actions against ISIS, including multiple strikes targeting over 30 ISIS positions in Syria in February, as part of a sustained effort to dismantle the terrorist network.
According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), these strikes in Syria involved a range of aircraft, including fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned systems, to hit ISIS infrastructure and weapon caches.
The effectiveness of counter-ISIS strategies, particularly in light of past incidents, has been a subject of scrutiny, with a notable strike on U.S. troops testing President Trump’s approach and his confidence in Syrian leadership.
Earlier, on January 27th, President Trump had indicated positive developments following a conversation with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, describing the situation in the region as “working out very, very well.”
CENTCOM reported in February that targeted operations in Syria over two months had resulted in the killing or capture of over 50 ISIS terrorists and the striking of more than 100 ISIS infrastructure targets.
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These actions were a direct response to an ISIS ambush on December 13, 2025, in Palmyra, Syria, which tragically resulted in the deaths of two U.S. service members and an American interpreter. The operation was codenamed Operation Hawkeye Strike.
