WASHINGTON (AP) — American and Nigerian forces have killed a senior Islamic State leader in Nigeria during a joint operation conducted on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced.

In a late-night social media statement, Trump disclosed the mission carried out in Africa’s most populous nation but provided limited operational details. He identified the militant as Abu Bakr al-Mainuki and described him as the Islamic State group’s global second-in-command, saying he had attempted to conceal himself in Africa while being closely monitored by U.S. intelligence sources.

According to a U.S. official who spoke anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the information, al-Mainuki played a central role in the group’s organization and financial operations. He was also accused of planning attacks targeting the United States and its interests abroad.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu confirmed the strike, stating that al-Mainuki was killed along with several senior associates during an assault on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.

Al-Mainuki, born in Nigeria’s Borno state in 1982, assumed leadership of the Islamic State’s West Africa branch after the death of regional leader Mamman Nur in 2018, according to researchers who monitor extremist organizations.

He was believed to have operated primarily in the Sahel region. Analysts have also suggested that he previously fought in Libya during the period when the Islamic State maintained a presence there more than a decade ago. The United States imposed sanctions on him in 2023.

While Trump characterized al-Mainuki as the group’s global deputy leader, several analysts have questioned that description.

Experts say he served as deputy to Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the head of the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP), who was reportedly killed in 2021. Al-Mainuki is considered a key architect behind ISWAP’s formation following its split from Boko Haram in 2016.

“If confirmed, this would mark the first time security forces have eliminated someone so highly placed within ISWAP’s command structure,” said Malik Samuel, a senior researcher specializing in insurgent movements in Nigeria.

He added that the strike could destabilize the organization, noting that the operation appeared to have been carried out deep inside one of ISWAP’s most heavily fortified strongholds, an area typically difficult for security forces to penetrate.

In December, Trump authorized U.S. forces to conduct strikes against Islamic State elements in Nigeria, though few specifics were released at the time regarding the outcomes of those actions.

The Nigerian military stated that the mission resulted from enhanced cooperation and intelligence-sharing under a recently strengthened U.S.-Nigeria security partnership. Military spokesperson Samalia Uba said the strike significantly disrupted a terrorist network that posed threats to both Nigeria and the wider West African region.

Nigeria continues to confront multiple armed insurgencies, including at least two factions aligned with the Islamic State, amid a complex and ongoing security crisis. Since the collapse of the group’s self-declared caliphate in Syria and Iraq in 2017, Islamic State affiliates in Africa have grown into some of the continent’s most active militant organizations.

Earlier this year, the United States deployed troops to Nigeria to advise and support its armed forces. In March, U.S. drones were also sent to assist operations, following concerns raised by Trump regarding violence connected to the country’s security challenges.

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Adetayo reported from Lagos, Nigeria. Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin in Washington and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.