In a late-night social media update, Trump revealed a joint operation conducted in Africa’s most populous nation, providing minimal specifics about the mission.
Trump stated that Abu Bakr al-Mainuki, who was the Islamic State group’s second-in-command globally, believed he could evade capture in Africa. However, Trump noted, “little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing.”
Al-Mainuki was considered a pivotal figure in the Islamic State’s organizational and financial activities and had been actively planning assaults against the United States and its allies. This information comes from an official who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the details.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed the operation’s success, stating that al-Mainuki was killed along with “several of his lieutenants during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.”
According to the Counter Extremism Project, which monitors militant groups, al-Mainuki was born in Nigeria’s Borno province in 1982 and ascended to lead the Islamic State’s West African faction following the 2018 death of the previous leader, Mamman Nur.
Al-Mainuki was based in the Sahel area, the monitoring group said, adding that it is believed that he fought in Libya when IS was active in the North African nation more than a decade ago.
He was sanctioned by the US in 2023.
Trump in December directed US forces to launch strikes against the Islamic State group in Nigeria, though he released little detail then about the impact.
Nigeria has been battling multiple armed groups, including at least two affiliated with IS, as it has grappled with a multifaceted security crisis.
IS affiliates in Africa have emerged as some of the continent’s most active militant groups following the collapse of the IS caliphate in Syria and Iraq in 2017.
The US in February sent troops to the West African nation to help advise its military and in March, the US also deployed drones there after Trump alleged that Christians are being targeted in Nigeria’s security crisis.