President Trump said Friday evening that U.S. and Nigerian military forces had killed Abu Bilal Al Minuki, a move he said would prevent the ISIS leader from continuing to terrorize people in Africa or help plan operations against Americans.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans.” He added that, “With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished.”
The announcement came as the administration linked the killing to a figure it has long treated as a senior extremist threat. In 2023, the U.S. State Department described al-Minuki, a native of Nigeria, as a leader of the Islamic State. The Treasury Department also placed him on its specially designated global terrorist list, a designation that subjected him to steep sanctions.
Trump did not provide details on where the operation took place or how the military forces carried it out. The account, delivered late Friday, leaves the White House to flesh out the scope of the strike and the role each force played in the killing.
The development is being treated as a breaking story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
