A 44-year-old Nigerian-born ISIS Commander, Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, has been reportedly killed during a joint counterterrorism operation involving American and Nigerian forces at the Lake Chad.
He was described by United States President Donald Trump as the “most active terrorist in the world”, has become the focus of international attention.
Although the exact location of the operation was not disclosed, the American President said the ISIS leader had been hiding somewhere in Africa before intelligence operatives tracked him down.
Records gleaned from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) indicates that he was born in 1982 in Mainok, near Benisheikh in Borno State — an area long associated with insurgency activities involving Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), according to Daily Trust Newspaper.
In his reaction to the incident, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, described the feat as
a significant example of effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism.
“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.
Early assessments, according to the statement personally endorsed by Tinubu, confirmed the elimination of the wanted IS senior leader, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, along with several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.
He said, “Nigeria appreciates this partnership with the United States in advancing our shared security objectives. I extend my sincere gratitude to President Trump for his leadership and unwavering support in this effort.
“I commend the personnel involved on both sides for their professionalism and courage, and I look forward to more decisive strikes against all terrorist enclaves across the nation”, he said.
Great job 👏