US President Donald Trump says Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS, has been killed in Nigeria.
Trump said al-Minuki was killed in a “complex mission” carried out by Nigerian and American troops.
The US president shared updates on the operation in a social media post in the wee hours of 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 acknowledged and thanked the Nigerian government for its “partnership on this operation”.
The Nigerian government also confirmed this in a statement issued by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu later on, describing the joint military action as an example of effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism.
Tinubu stayed: “Overnight, Nigeria and the United States recorded a significant example of effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism.
“Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States, conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State.
“Early assessments confirm the elimination of the wanted IS senior leader, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, along with several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin
“Nigeria appreciates this partnership with the United States in advancing our shared security objectives. I extend my sincere gratitude to President Trump for his leadership and unwavering support in this effort.
“I commend the personnel involved on both sides for their professionalism and courage, and I look forward to more decisive strikes against all terrorist enclaves across the nation.”
Nigeria had entered into a military partnership with the United States following Trump’s re-designation of the West African nation as a country of particular concern (CPC).
In February a drone refuelling station was among the demands made by the US as part of the security partnership.
In March, the US deployed multiple MQ-9 drones alongside 200 troops to Nigeria to provide training and intelligence support to the country’s military in its fight against Islamist militants.
The Defence Headquarters had said the Nigerian troops, alongside the US forces, would commence a series of joint training engagements and intelligence-focused cooperation initiatives.
Late last year, the US began conducting intelligence-gathering flights over swathes of Nigerian territory.
On Christmas Day, the US launched missile strikes on two terrorist enclaves in the Bauni forest in Tangaza LGA, Sokoto state.
It was widely reported that the strike involved more than a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a navy ship in the Gulf of Guinea.
But officials familiar with the operation told TheCable that the strikes involved drones.
Communities in Sokoto and Kwara states had reported explosions at the same time the US launched a fusillade of air strikes on ISIS terrorists.
The federal government later confirmed that the explosions in Kwara were caused by debris from the precision-guided munitions (PGMs) fired by the US.
