The Nigerian army denies Trump’s claims… There is no involvement of foreign forces in the elimination an ISIS leader
The media director of the Nigerian army, Michael Onoga confirmed that no foreign soldier actually participated in the operation that resulted in the elimination of Abu Bilal al Minuki, the prominent leader of the Islamic State in West Africa.
Onuga’s remarks came during a television program discussing the latest developments regarding a joint counter-terrorism operation carried out by Nigerian and US forces.
Onuga explained that the US role was limited to logistical and technical support in the areas of intelligence and surveillance, stating, “There were no foreign troops on the ground during that operation… What we received was assistance in the areas of intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance support, and other force-enablement capabilities”.
Onuga described the operation as a precise and meticulously planned strike targeting a high-value terrorist leader, based on accurate intelligence and close operational coordination.
He also pointed out that previous reports stating that al Minuki had been killed in 2024 were based on a mistake in identification, noting that the person neutralized in the recent operation was the real Abu Bilal al Minuki, who used a number of aliases, which helped him to hide and evade detection for years.
US President Donald Trump confirmed last Friday that a joint US-Nigeria military operation had killed the deputy leader of ISIS in Africa.
According to what Trump wrote on Truth Social that the forces were able to target Abu Bilal al Minuki, describing him as “the most active terrorist in the world,” and asserting that “he will no longer be able to terrorize the people of Africa or help plan operations targeting Americans”.
He stressed that the operation contributed to weakening ISIS’s operational capabilities on a global scale, without revealing further details about the timing and location of the operation or whether there were other victims.
