US President Donald Trump said ‌on Friday that Abu-Bilal Al Minuki, second in command of Daesh globally, had been eliminated in an ​operation conducted by US and Nigerian ​forces.

“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. 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 said in a post on Truth Social.

He also thanked the Nigerian government ​for its ​partnership in ⁠the operation.

Nigeria had earlier come under scrutiny from Trump, who had ​said that Christians there were being ​persecuted, ⁠which the African nation’s government denies.

The US had struck what it said were militant bases ⁠in ​northwestern Nigeria on Christmas ​Day last year, following Trump’s accusations.