WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 11: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks at a ‘Rose Garden Club’ dinner for National Police Week in the Rose Garden at the White House on May 11, 2026 in Washington, DC. Trump hosted leaders of various law enforcement organizations in honor of officers fallen in the line of duty. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Trump claimed the ISIS chief believed he could evade capture through hiding in Africa.
“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 wrote.
“He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans.”
Meanwhile, the Nigerian military revealed that the operation in question was initiated shortly after midnight on Saturday, after months of intelligence gathering and reconnaissance. It said “zero casualties or loss of assets” were recorded, describing the operation as evidence of growing co-operation between Nigerian and US forces.
Nigeria has battled extremist organizations for years, including a number of factions linked to ISIS. Following the elimination and collapse of the terrorist group’s so-termed caliphate in Iraq and Syria in 2017, several ISIS-affiliated groups have expanded heavily into the African continent across parts of West Africa.
