Trump Announces Operation Against ISIS Commander
On Friday night, President Trump shared that U.S. and Nigerian forces successfully targeted a high-ranking ISIS official during a complex operation.
In a post on Truth Social, he stated, “At my direction, our courageous American and Nigerian troops carried out a meticulously planned and complicated mission to eliminate some of the most notorious terrorists from the battlefield.”
Trump continued by revealing the identity of the individual killed: “Abu Bilal al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS, believed he could remain hidden in Africa. What he didn’t realize was that we had a reliable source keeping tabs on his movements. He won’t be able to instill fear in Africans or plot attacks against Americans anymore.”
He asserted that this operation would greatly diminish ISIS’s abilities worldwide.
The president expressed gratitude to the Nigerian government for their collaboration. “God bless America!” he concluded his message.
This announcement came shortly after Trump returned to the White House following a three-day trip to Beijing.
Nigeria faces ongoing violence from various militant groups, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa. Last November, in a stern warning, Trump emphasized that unless the Nigerian government took significant action to curb the violence against Christians, he would consider halting U.S. aid and even “shooting guns” into the country.
His recent announcement follows a series of U.S. airstrikes over Christmas that reportedly neutralized several ISIS militants, according to U.S. Africa Command.
In February, Nigeria’s government revealed that it had invited a group of U.S. technical and training personnel to assist in its efforts. It was noted that these personnel would not engage in combat or have a direct role in operations.
Sources indicated that around 200 American troops had been deployed to Nigeria at that time.
However, neither the Pentagon nor U.S. Africa Command immediately addressed inquiries for comments regarding this matter.
