U.S. President Donald Trump said that American forces, in cooperation with Nigerian forces, had “eliminated” a senior leader of the terrorist group ISIS.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said: “Tonight, at my direction, brave U.S. forces and Nigerian forces carried out a highly complex and precisely planned mission to eliminate one of the most active terrorists in the world.”
He added: “Abu Bilal al-Manouki, the second-in-command of the Islamic State globally, believed he could hide in Africa, but he did not know that we had sources keeping us informed of his activities.”
Trump also thanked the Nigerian government for participating in the operation.
Nigeria had previously faced criticism from Trump, who claimed that Christians in the country were being persecuted—an allegation denied by the Nigerian government.
The United States had also carried out airstrikes on what it described as “Islamist bases” in northwestern Nigeria late last year following Trump’s accusations.
Source: AFP / Reuters
