At the direction of the President of the United States and the Secretary of War, in coordination with the government of Nigeria, the U.S. Africa Command conducted an operation against ISIS in northeastern Nigeria.
In a social media post late Friday night, President Donald Trump said that U.S. forces had helped eliminate a top ISIS leader who had been behind the killing of Christians in Africa.
“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,” said the president.
“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,” said Trump.
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“He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans. With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished,” he explained.
“Thank you to the Government of Nigeria for your partnership on this operation. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” concluded the president.
“As President Trump shared last night, AFRICOM in coordination with the Armed Forces of Nigeria, bravely and valiantly conducted a successful mission that resulted in the elimination of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, and multiple other ISIS leaders,” said U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander of U.S. Africa Command.
“This operation underscores the exceptional value of the U.S.-Nigeria partnership and was made possible through the cooperation and coordination of our forces in recent months. Make no mistake, our two nations will relentlessly pursue and neutralize terrorist threats and are committed to protecting our people and interests.”
According to a statement from the U.S. Africa Command, al-Minuki provided strategic guidance to the ISIS global network on media and financial operations as well as the development and manufacturing of weapons, explosives, and drones. Al-Minuki had a significant history of involvement in planning attacks and directing hostage taking.
Last month, United States Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch spoke out about the ongoing targeting of churches and deadly attacks on Christians in Nigeria, saying that the situation is “intolerable.”
“The president has said that Christians face an existential crisis in Nigeria, and thanks to his leadership, he is now acting to bring an end to this. We have called on the Nigerian government to take necessary steps to protect Christians, and the United States government is now working in partnership with the Nigerian government to assist them in doing just that,” said the ambassador.
