Trump says Islamic State group leader was killed in a joint US-Nigerian mission - BERITAJA

U.S. and Nigerian forces killed a leader of the Islamic State group in Nigeria successful a ngo carried retired Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said.

Trump announced the associated cognition successful Africa’s about populous state successful a late-night societal media post. He said Abu Bakr al-Mainuki was second-in-command of the Islamic State group globally and “thought he could hide successful Africa, but small did he cognize we had sources who kept america informed connected what he was doing.”

Al-Mainuki was viewed arsenic the cardinal fig successful IS organizing and finance, and had been plotting attacks against the United States and its interests, according to an charismatic who said connected information of anonymity because they were not authorized to stock delicate information.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed the cognition and said Al-Mainuki was killed alongside “several of his lieutenants, during a onslaught connected his compound successful the Lake Chad Basin.”

The associated cognition is the latest by some countries since their caller information business that kicked disconnected past twelvemonth aft Trump claimed Christians were being targeted in Nigeria’s security situation and threatened U.S. subject intervention. Residents and information analysts person said Nigeria’s information situation affects some Christians, predominant successful the south, and Muslims, who are the mostly successful the north.

According to the spokesperson for the Nigerian subject task unit that carried retired the Friday operation, the ngo was a “highly analyzable precision air-land operation” and was carried retired during 3 hours of acheronian early Saturday without immoderate casualties aliases nonaccomplishment of assets.

“His elimination represents the azygous about consequential counterterrorism outcome” successful the region since the inception of the cognition successful 2015, Sani Uba, the spokesperson for the task force, said successful a statement.

United Nations experts successful their latest study said IS had intensified efforts successful West Africa, citing much than 500 attacks betwixt January and October past year.

Questions complete Al-Mainuki’s nonstop position successful IS

Born successful Nigeria’s Borno state successful 1982, al-Mainuki took the helm of the IS branch successful West Africa aft his predecessor, Mamman Nur, was killed successful 2018, according to the Counter Extremism Project, which tracks militant groups.

Al-Mainuki was based successful the Sahel area, the monitoring group said, adding that it is believed that he fought successful Libya erstwhile IS was progressive successful the North African federation much than a decade ago. He was sanctioned by the U.S. successful 2023.

Trump, successful his societal media announcement, said Al-Mainuki was “second successful bid globally,” hiding successful Africa, a declare that immoderate analysts opportunity is disconnected the mark. The Nigerian military, successful a statement, besides said intelligence shows that earlier this year, Al-Mainuki mightiness person been “elevated to the position of Head of the General Directorate of States, placing him the 2nd about elder leader wrong the ISIS global hierarchy.”

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth besides said Al-Mainuki was the senior ISIS General Directorate of Provinces Emir — “the number 2 for ISIS globally — responsible for overseeing the readying of attacks, directing the hostage-taking and managing financial operations.”

There is nary measurement to verify his position wrong IS independently. Analysts opportunity Al-Mainuki was the lawman to Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the leader of the Islamic State West African Province who was reported to person died in 2021. He is regarded arsenic 1 of the cardinal proponents of the statement of ISWAP, aft its divided pinch Boko Haram successful 2016.

“If confirmed, the sidesplitting of Al-Mainuki is immense because this is the first clip a information agency has killed personification this precocious successful the ranking of ISWAP,” Malik Samuel, a elder interrogator astatine Good Governance Africa who specializes successful insurgent groups successful Nigeria, said.

“The imaginable to origin chaos wrong the group is besides location because the cognition must person been carried retired successful the bosom of ISWAP’s fortified base, which is very difficult to access.”

Trump in December directed U.S. forces to launch strikes against the Islamic State group successful Nigeria, though he released small item past about the impact.

US and Nigeria measurement up associated operations

The Nigerian subject said the cognition was a consequence of precocious formed U.S.-Nigeria business and intelligence-sharing efforts. Samalia Uba, the subject spokesperson, said successful a connection that the cognition has besides “disrupted a convulsive violent web that endangered Nigeria and the broader West African region.”

Nigeria has been battling aggregate equipped groups, including astatine slightest 2 affiliated pinch IS, arsenic it has grappled pinch a multifaceted information crisis. IS affiliates successful Africa person emerged arsenic immoderate of the continent’s about progressive militant groups pursuing the illness of the alleged IS caliphate successful Syria and Iraq successful 2017.

The U.S. successful February sent troops to the West African nation to thief counsel its military, and successful March, the U.S. besides deployed drones there after Trump’s allegations about Christians being targeted in Nigeria.

The Friday nighttime cognition was the latest lawsuit successful a drawstring of covert missions overseas that Trump has announced this year, starting pinch the stunning overnight ambush successful January to seizure and region Venezuela’s then-leader Nicolás Maduro and whisk him to the U.S., followed about 2 months later by the motorboat of strikes that kicked disconnected the warfare pinch Iran.