President Donald Trump announced late Friday that U.S. and Nigerian forces carried out an operation that killed a global ISIS leader.

Trump identified the terrorist as Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as ISIS’s second-in-command globally.

"Tonight, at my direction, brave American forces and the Armed Forces of Nigeria flawlessly executed a meticulously planned and very complex mission to eliminate the most active terrorist in the world from the battlefield," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

"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 continued. "He will no longer terrorize the people of Africa, or help plan operations to target Americans."

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Trump also thanked the Nigerian government for its cooperation in the mission.

"With his removal, ISIS’s global operation is greatly diminished," he added.

In a Saturday morning X post, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed U.S. forces, in coordination with the Armed Forces of Nigeria, killed al-Minuki and other ISIS leaders and provided more details about al-Minuki's role within ISIS.

"Abu-Bilal al-Minuki was the senior ISIS General Directorate of Provinces Emir — the number two for ISIS globally — responsible for overseeing the planning of attacks, directing hostage-taking and managing financial operations," Hegseth wrote. "The removal of him and other ISIS personnel makes Americans safer by further degrading ISIS’s ability to plan and carry out attacks that threaten the U.S. homeland, American citizens, and innocent civilians. "

"Operations like last night’s demonstrate the exceptional lethality, patience and skill of U.S. forces, amplified alongside willing and capable partners, to address shared threats," Hegseth wrote. "This should serve as a reminder that we will hunt down those who wish to harm Americans or innocent Christians, wherever they are."

Hegseth said U.S. Africa Command carried out the "precise operation to remove this terrorist" at Trump's direction and in conjunction with Nigeria's president. 

The secretary reiterated how Trump in November "declared to the world that we will help protect Christians in Nigeria and instructed the Department of War to prepare for action."

"So, for months, we hunted this top ISIS leader in Nigeria who was killing Christians, and we killed him — and his entire posse," Hegseth wrote.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

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The announcement comes after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it carried out multiple strikes against more than 30 ISIS targets in Syria in February as part of a joint military effort to "sustain relentless military pressure on remnants from the terrorist network."

CENTCOM said U.S. forces struck ISIS infrastructure and weapons-storage targets using fixed-wing, rotary-wing and unmanned aircraft.

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Trump told reporters on Jan. 27 that he had a "great conversation" with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

"All of the things having to do with Syria in that area are working out very, very well," he said at the time. "So, we are very happy about it."

CENTCOM announced in February that more than 50 ISIS terrorists had been killed or captured and more than 100 ISIS infrastructure targets struck during two months of targeted operations in Syria.

The U.S. launched Operation Hawkeye Strike in response to an ISIS ambush that killed two U.S. service members and an American interpreter Dec. 13, 2025, in Palmyra, Syria.

Fox News Digital's Ashley J. DiMella contributed to this report.