<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>US and Nigerian forces killed a leader of the Islamic State group in Nigeria in a mission carried out on Friday, US President Donald </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/donald-trump" rel="" target="" title="Trump "><span>Trump</span></a><span> said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump announced the joint operation in Africa’s most populous country in a late-night social media post that offered few details.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He said Abu Bakr al-Mainuki was second in command of the Islamic State group globally and “thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing”.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/shark-attack-rottnest-island-perth-western-australia/8eb76e10-df38-44af-8029-250d9ba88432" rel="" target="" title="Man dies after shark attack on WA's Rottnest Island"><strong><span>Man dies after shark attack on WA's Rottnest Island</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Al-Mainuki was viewed as the key figure in IS organising and finance, and had been plotting attacks against the US and its interests, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to share sensitive information.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed the operation and said Al-Mainuki was killed alongside “several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Born in Nigeria's Borno province in 1982, al-Mainuki took the helm of the IS branch in West Africa after the group’s previous leader in the region, Mamman Nur, was killed in 2018, according to the Counter Extremism Project, which tracks militant groups.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/trump-says-islamic-state-group-leader-was-killed-in-a-joint-usnigerian-mission/af15af03-c7cf-477c-96ee-c3851e322ae9" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Al-Mainuki was based in the Sahel area, the monitoring group said, adding that it is believed that he fought in Libya when IS was active in the North African nation more than a decade ago.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/victoria-crash-woosang/299966e2-f914-48a6-9b25-ed667e6818b6" rel="" target="" title=" Teen killed, driver and another teen fighting for life after 'stolen car' hit tree"><strong><span>Teen killed, driver and another teen fighting for life after 'stolen car' hit tree</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He was sanctioned by the US in 2023.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump in December directed US forces to launch strikes against the Islamic State group in Nigeria, though he released little detail then about the impact.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Nigeria has been battling multiple armed groups, including at least two affiliated with IS, as it has grappled with a multifaceted security crisis.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>IS affiliates in Africa have emerged as some of the continent's most active militant groups following the collapse of the IS caliphate in Syria and Iraq in 2017.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The US in February sent troops to the West African nation to help advise its military and in March, the US also deployed drones there after Trump alleged that Christians are being targeted in Nigeria’s security crisis.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Friday night operation was the latest instance in a string of covert missions abroad that Trump has announced this year, starting with the stunning overnight raid in January to capture and remove </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/venezuela" rel="" target="" title="Venezuela's "><span>Venezuela's</span></a><span> then-leader </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/nicolas-maduro-capture-venezuelan-president-faces-court-in-new-york-for-first-time/1c072e24-fc65-4845-a665-945f7affc7a2" rel="" target="" title="Nicolás Maduro"><span>Nicolás Maduro</span></a><span> and whisk him to the US, followed nearly two months later by the launch of strikes that kicked off the war with Iran.</span></div></div>