Trump claims major success in counter-terrorism operation in Africa

International Desk. PNN

Former US President Donald Trump has claimed that Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-in-command of ISIS, has been killed in a joint counter-terrorism operation in Africa.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said US special forces and Nigerian armed forces carried out a highly complex operation and successfully targeted him.

He stated that al-Minuki was hiding in Africa and played a key role in ISIS’s global network operations.

The US State Department had already listed al-Minuki as a global terrorist in 2023.

Trump said his death has dealt a major blow to ISIS’s global operations and thanked Nigeria for cooperation.

However, he did not provide details about the exact location or timing of the operation.

Nigeria has previously stated that foreign forces stationed in the country are only engaged in training and intelligence support, not direct combat.

ISIS activity in the Sahel region of Africa continues to be a major security concern for the US and regional countries.