United States President Donald Trump has announced the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the global second-in-command of ISIS, during a joint counterterrorism operation involving American and Nigerian forces.

Trump disclosed the development in a post on Truth Social on Friday, saying the mission was carried out at his direction by “brave American forces” working alongside the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

According to the U.S. President, the operation targeted al-Minuki, whom he described as “the most active terrorist in the world.”

“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,” Trump said.

Although the exact location of the operation was not disclosed, Trump praised the Nigerian government for its cooperation in the mission.

Reuters had previously identified al-Minuki as a Nigerian national who was designated a “specially designated global terrorist” in 2023 under the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden.

The development highlights growing security cooperation between Washington and Abuja in the fight against ISIS-linked and al-Qaeda-affiliated groups operating across West Africa.

The United States had earlier launched strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria in December and has reportedly deployed drones and about 200 troops to support Nigerian military operations through intelligence and training.

Trump also stated that al-Minuki would “no longer terrorize the people of Africa” or help coordinate attacks against Americans, adding that his elimination had “greatly diminished” ISIS’s global network.

As of the time of filing this report, Nigerian authorities had not released further operational details, including the location of the strike or whether additional militants were captured or killed.