U.S. and Nigerian forces have executed another operation against ISIS militants in Nigeria. This information comes from the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) shortly after a successful mission that resulted in the death of a top ISIS leader.
On Monday, AFRICOM conducted additional kinetic strikes against ISIS operatives. These actions were in coordination with the Nigerian government. The command mentioned that assessments are ongoing, and noted no injuries occurred to either U.S. or Nigerian personnel during the mission.
“The removal of these terrorists diminishes the group’s capacity to plan attacks that threaten the safety and security of the U.S. and our partners,” AFRICOM stated.
The strikes followed an announcement from former President Donald Trump. He stated that U.S. and Nigerian forces had killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, identified as the global second-in-command of ISIS, during an operation.
Trump shared, “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. He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations to target Americans.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed that al-Minuki, alongside other ISIS leaders, had been targeted by a meticulous campaign in Nigeria. Hegseth highlighted that the mission pursued these leaders for several months.
“We hunted this top ISIS leader in Nigeria who was killing Christians, and we killed him and his entire group,” Hegseth noted.
Earlier, the U.S. military conducted ten strikes against over 30 ISIS targets in Syria. These actions followed a previous ambush in December that resulted in the death of U.S. troops.
The continuous strikes, reported by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), are part of a collaborative military campaign aimed at maintaining pressure on remaining elements of the terrorist organization.
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