Nigerian and United States forces have killed a senior Islamic State commander, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, in a joint operation in the Lake Chad Basin.
The operation, carried out overnight, also killed several of his lieutenants during a strike on his compound, according to statements by President Bola Tinubu and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Al-Manuki had previously been designated a “global terrorist” by the U.S. State Department. The department described him as a Sahel-based senior ISIL leader and a member of the group’s General Directorate of Provinces, an administrative body that provides operational guidance and funding to Islamic State affiliates worldwide.
Trump described Al-Manuki as the second-in-command of ISIS globally and one of the group’s most active operatives.
“Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission,” Trump said, adding that the operation would significantly weaken ISIS’s global operations.
President Bola Tinubu, in a statement issued after that attack said the mission demonstrated the value of Nigeria-US security cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
Tinubu said early assessments confirmed that the joint operation dealt a heavy blow to the Islamic State network operating in the region.
“Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States, conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State,” Tinubu said.
President Tinubu thanked President Trump for his leadership and support, while commending personnel from both countries for their professionalism and courage.
He said Nigeria looked forward to more decisive strikes against terrorist enclaves across the country.
Trump also thanked the Nigerian government for its partnership, saying the removal of Al-Manuki would weaken ISIS’s global operations and prevent further attacks against Africans and Americans.
