Pete Hegseth, the United States Secretary of Defence, has said that Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, the slain second-in-command of ISIS, was largely responsible for the killing of Christians in Nigeria.
Gatekeepers News reports that Al-Minuki was reportedly killed on May 15 during a joint military operation conducted by US and Nigerian forces targeting his base in the Lake Chad Basin.
Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday, Hegseth said the US military intervention against ISIS elements in Nigeria followed a directive from President Donald Trump aimed at protecting persecuted Christians.
According to the Pentagon report, Hegseth recalled that Trump had earlier directed the US military to prioritise efforts to safeguard Christians facing attacks in Nigeria.
“Maybe a year ago, [the president] heard the call of Nigerian Christians who were being targeted and killed by ISIS. … And he said, ‘Pete, I want the War Department to focus on ensuring that we do everything we can to protect those Christians,’” Hegseth said.
“And, over the past month — and there hasn’t been much coverage of this — we killed ISIS’ No. 2 [commander], who was most responsible for killing Christians and trying to target the U.S. homeland.”
US military operations against Islamist groups in Nigeria reportedly intensified late last year following allegations of widespread attacks against Christian communities.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier confirmed the death of Al-Minuki, revealing that several of the ISIS commander’s lieutenants were also killed during the operation.
Hegseth further disclosed that intelligence gathered since the commencement of US operations in Nigeria had resulted in the elimination of hundreds of ISIS fighters allegedly linked to attacks on Christians across the country.
He added that President Trump remained committed to efforts aimed at protecting Christians in Nigeria from extremist violence
