By Ayo Kehinde
United States Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, has revealed that President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon to prioritise the protection of Christians in Nigeria targeted by the Islamic State terrorist network, ISIS, in a covert counterterrorism mission that reportedly led to the killing of one of the group’s top commanders.
Hegseth made the disclosure during an interview on Fox News, where he said U.S. intelligence operations linked to the mission also contributed to the deaths of “hundreds” of ISIS fighters allegedly connected to attacks on Christian communities and threats against the American homeland.
Speaking on the operation, Hegseth said the Trump administration had empowered the Department of Defense to carry out decisive actions that often escape public attention.
“There’s a lot of things we do that the media pays attention to, and a lot of things that the president empowers the Department to do on behalf of the American people, that he deserves great credit for”, he said.
The Pentagon chief stated that the operation culminated in the elimination of a senior ISIS commander operating in Nigeria. International reports have identified the slain figure as Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described by U.S. officials as ISIS’ global second-in-command.
Hegseth’s claims follow Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters (DHQ) announcement of a major joint counterterrorism breakthrough involving Nigerian troops and the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM).
In the statement issued by the Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Samaila Uba, the DHQ disclosed that coordinated air and ground offensives in the North-East led to the elimination of 175 ISIS fighters and the destruction of key terrorist infrastructure across the region.
According to the military, the operations targeted ISIS enclaves, logistics routes, checkpoints, weapons caches, logistics hubs and financial support structures linked to insurgent activities in the Lake Chad region.
The DHQ also confirmed the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, describing him as one of ISIS’ most influential global operatives responsible for terrorist financing, recruitment, logistics coordination and the planning of attacks against civilians.
“The elimination of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki has severely disrupted the group’s command structure, operational coordination and external attack networks”, the DHQ had stated.
Other senior terrorist figures reportedly neutralised during the operation included Abd-al Wahhab, identified as an ISWAP commander coordinating attacks and propaganda operations; Abu Musa al-Mangawi; and Abu al-Muthanna al-Muhajir, described as a senior media production operative for the terror group.
The Nigerian military said collaboration with AFRICOM significantly enhanced intelligence sharing, surveillance operations and operational coordination, contributing to the success of the offensive.
Uba had reaffirmed the commitment of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and its international partners to sustain aggressive operations against terrorist groups operating within Nigeria and across the wider Lake Chad Basin.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria, in collaboration with international partners, will continue to hunt down and destroy terrorists wherever they operate”, he said.
Although Hegseth specifically framed the operation as part of efforts to defend Nigerian Christians targeted by extremist violence, Nigerian authorities have historically maintained that insurgency in the country involves a broader mix of terrorism, criminality, territorial control and regional instability beyond purely religious motivations.
The latest disclosure is expected to draw renewed attention to the extent of U.S. military and intelligence involvement in Nigeria’s counterinsurgency operations amid growing international concern over persistent attacks by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
For more than a decade, Nigeria’s North-East has remained one of Africa’s deadliest insurgency theatres, with thousands killed and millions displaced by extremist violence.
