Africa-Press – Nigeria. The American president, Donald Trump, announced that American and Nigerian forces carried out a military operation that resulted in the death of a prominent leader known as the “second man” in ISIS, during an attack he said “significantly weakened” the capabilities of the militant organization.
Trump stated in a post on the Truth Social platform, Eastern Time, that “American forces and the Nigerian armed forces successfully executed a complex and precise mission targeting the most dangerous active terrorist in the world, and he has been eliminated.”
He added that the target was “Abu Bilal al-Manuki, the second man in the organization globally,” emphasizing: “He will no longer be able to terrorize the people of Africa or assist in planning attacks targeting Americans.”
According to documents from the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, al-Manuki was born in 1982 in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, an area bordering Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.
Reports from the Nigerian army in 2024 indicated that he was leading what is known as the “Wilayat al-Furqan,” and he is suspected of involvement in armed activities linked to the organization in the northern part of the country.
Trump did not specify the location of the operation but clarified that al-Manuki “thought he could hide in Africa, but we had sources tracking his movements and providing us with information.”
He also thanked the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for its cooperation, noting that “his elimination significantly limits the global operations of the organization.”
Last December, Trump announced that he ordered a “strong and lethal strike against the terrorist organization” in the northwest of the country.
In the previous month, he stated that he was considering military action in response to allegations of “persecution of Christians,” which Abuja has repeatedly denied.
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa with an estimated population of about 237.5 million, has witnessed a rise in attacks by armed groups for years, including the militant group Boko Haram and the ISIS-affiliated group ISWAP.
According to media reports, the United States sent about 100 soldiers to northern Nigeria last February to provide training, intelligence sharing, and technical support to local forces.
