Slain ISIS Commander Al-Minuki Responsible For Killing Christians In Nigeria – Pete Hegseth

US Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth said that Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS, played a major role in attacks that led to the killing of Christians in Nigeria.

KanyiDaily recalls that Al-Minuki was killed on May 15 during a joint operation carried out by US and Nigerian forces targeting his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.

President Bola Tinubu also confirmed the development, stating that several close associates of Al-Minuki were also killed during the mission.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting in the White House on Wednesday, Hegseth explained that the US military’s actions in Nigeria followed a directive from President Donald Trump, who had called for efforts to protect Christians facing violence.

According to him, US involvement began late last year after concerns were raised about widespread attacks on Christians in Nigeria, which some described as a form of genocide.

“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, according to a Pentagon report.

“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.”

Hegseth added that intelligence gathered since the start of the operations has helped US forces eliminate hundreds of ISIS fighters believed to be linked to attacks on Christians in Nigeria.

He stressed that the US government remains committed to continuing these efforts.

KanyiDaily recalls that the Nigerian Army recently revealed that 175 ISIS fighters were killed in North-East during a recent joint counterterrorism operation involving Nigerian troops and US forces.