In a joint military operation Trump has announced US and Nigerian forces have slain the world’s most active terrorist’ in a operation the president has called ‘flawless’
Donald Trump has said US and Nigerian forces have killed the “second in command of ISIS globally” during a military operation in Africa.
In a social media post made on Truth Social, the US President stated the mission was “flawlessly executed… to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world,” Abu-Bilal al-Minuki. Al-Minuki, also known as Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali al‑Mainuki, was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by Washington in 2023.
The terrorist mastermind directed IS‑linked groups across Africa, particularly the Islamic State West Africa Province, which operated in numerous countries across the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel region of Africa. The terror group has numerous cross‑border links with states in the Sahel such as Niger, Chad, and Mali.
Trump said Al-Minuki’s death is a major blow to IS’s African and global networks as the terrorist’s removal with hit funding channels and shatter command structures. Trump’s social media announcement did not contain any further details on the nature of the joint operation.
The US president thanked the Nigerian government for their “partnership” during the operation and added Al-Minuki “will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans.”
The Nigerian government have not yet commented on the raid. The development comes as Nigeria and the US have increased military cooperation in attempt to tackle extremist violence in West Africa.
The Daily Star previously reported on claims from Amnesty International that around 100 people were killed in Nigeria during military strikes launched in fighting between armed bandits and the army. During the horrific strikes locals stated that bodies had been “blown beyond recognition.”
Amnesty International has said “at least 100 civilians” were killed in a bloody series of strikes on a number of areas, reportedly controlled by criminal bandits and extremists. The Nigerian military has been accused of killing at least 72 people in recent strikes in the country’s northwestern state of Zamfara.
Many of the victims thought to be dead are civilians, as an airstrike hit a crowded market. The Nigerian military has denied that their strikes claimed the lives of any civilians. A community leader has told AFP that some bodies were “blown beyond recognition” from the horrific strike.
Residents of a nearby village placed the death toll at 117. Garba Ibrahim Mashema, a community leader in the area, put the number of dead lower, at 72. However, the local leader added, “The actual death toll is hard to establish at the moment.”
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