President Trump announced late Thursday that U.S. and Nigerian forces killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as the second-in-command of ISIS globally, in an overnight raid carried out at his direction.
Trump identified al-Minuki as ‘the most active terrorist in the world’ and said the operation was ‘meticulously planned and very complex,’ crediting human intelligence sources for tracking the target’s movements.
The announcement comes as ISIS’s African affiliates, particularly in the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel, have grown into some of the most active nodes of the broader ISIS network, drawing increased U.S. Special Operations attention over the past several years.
Trump said al-Minuki’s removal means ‘ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished’ and thanked the Nigerian government for its partnership on the mission.
The White House and Pentagon had not released additional operational details as of Thursday night; this is a developing story.
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