Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of Defence, has said Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS globally, “was most responsible for killing Christians” in Nigeria.
Al-Minuki was killed on May 15 during a joint US-Nigerian operation targeting his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.
Hegseth described Al-Minuki as the senior ISIS General Directorate of Provinces Emir, the number two for ISIS globally responsible for overseeing the planning of attacks, directing hostage-taking and managing financial operations.
President Trump, announcing the operation, said Al-Minuki “thought he could hide in Africa,” but US intelligence sources kept track of his movements, adding: “With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished.”
Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday, Hegseth said Trump had given the directive about a year ago after hearing the concerns of Nigerian Christians being targeted and killed by ISIS, instructing the War Department to do everything possible to protect them.
Hegseth said the operation also led to the deaths of “hundreds” of ISIS fighters linked to attacks on Christians in Nigeria and threats against the US homeland.
President Bola Tinubu separately confirmed the death of Al-Minuki, disclosing that several of his lieutenants were also eliminated during the operation.
Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed no US service members were harmed, with AFRICOM commander General Dagvin Anderson noting the operation “was made possible through the cooperation and coordination of our forces in recent months.”
