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The United States has revealed that a recent counterterrorism operation in Nigeria killed 199 jihadists and led to the seizure of the largest cache of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) electronic intelligence since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
This, marked what Washington described as one of its most significant victories against the extremist group in decades.
US officials said the volume of electronic devices and intelligence materials recovered during the raid was so substantial that an additional aircraft was deployed to transport the haul, which is now being analysed to uncover ISIS communications, networks and operational plans.
US officials said intelligence experts are now analysing the devices to uncover how ISIS communicates, recruits, finances its operations and coordinates attacks across different regions, particularly in Africa.
This was disclosed by Sebastian Gorka, United States Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, during an interview with Marissa Streit, Chief Executive Officer of PragerU, a conservative American media organisation.
Describing the operation as one of the most successful counter-terrorism missions undertaken by the current US administration, Gorka said he watched the entire raid unfold live from the White House Situation Room.
He likened the experience to a Hollywood action thriller, saying the operation resulted in the elimination of 199 jihadists in a single strike, the highest number of terrorists neutralised in one counter-terrorism operation since the September 11 attacks.
According to him, the mission demonstrated Washington’s renewed commitment to aggressively pursuing terrorist groups wherever they operate.
“I can talk about this because it has been declassified.
“The President is not going around the world like some lunatic neocon saying, ‘we will turn the world into America.’
“But if you’re threatening Americans, or if you’re targeting Christians, he has a very strong message to send to you.
“Three weeks ago in Nigeria, I watched it live from the Situation Room. It was like being in a Tom Clancy movie, but it was better because it was real.
“I watched our operatives kill 199 jihadists in one operation.
“That is the biggest enemy neutralisation since September 11. These are 199 jihadists who will never harm Americans again”, Gorka said.
Beyond the casualties inflicted on the terrorist group, Gorka stressed that the intelligence recovered during the raid may ultimately prove even more significant.
According to him, American forces required an additional aircraft to transport the recovered materials because of their volume.
“Not only that, from that raid we brought home, we needed an extra plane to bring home all the electronic material that we captured in those camps.
“The haul was three times bigger than any enemy electronics haul since 9/11.
“That is priceless because now our experts are taking apart all of that information, looking at how ISIS is communicating with each other.
“We are so back in the game of counterterrorism. It is just superlative to watch our professionals”, he added.
The White House official explained that intelligence agencies are now examining the devices in an effort to dismantle ISIS communication networks, identify operatives and prevent future attacks against the United States and its allies.
The disclosure comes amid strengthened security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.
Since late 2025, both countries have expanded collaboration beyond advisory support into intelligence sharing, joint counter-terrorism operations, institutional reforms and military capacity building.
The renewed partnership gathered momentum after Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser, led a high-level Nigerian delegation to Washington in November 2025.
The visit culminated in an agreement establishing a Nigeria-US Joint Working Group on security to deepen bilateral cooperation against terrorism and other transnational threats.
One of the most notable outcomes of the renewed relationship was the joint operation in Borno State that reportedly eliminated several fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), including the group’s deputy leader, Abu Bakr al-Mainuki.
The collaboration also followed earlier US-assisted strikes against terrorist enclaves in northern Nigeria during the Christmas period.
Gorka argued that the Nigerian operation reflected a broader shift in America’s counter-terrorism doctrine under President Donald Trump.
According to him, the administration has abandoned what he described as a policy of “watching and waiting” in favour of immediate action against terrorist threats.
He disclosed that within the administration’s first 15 months, American forces had killed approximately 1,031 jihadists globally while successfully securing the release of 106 American hostages without paying ransom.
“We are not watching and waiting. We are dealing death to bad people. Africa becoming ISIS stronghold”, Gorka declared.
The White House official warned that Africa has increasingly become a major destination for ISIS following the collapse of the group’s self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria.
According to him, many fighters displaced from the Middle East relocated to Africa because of vast ungoverned territories where extremist groups can reorganise and rebuild.
“Terrorists need ungoverned space. They need somewhere where they can hang out and rebuild. Africa has a lot of ungoverned space.
“That’s why I focus a lot of my attention on that region of the world where ISIS is trying to reconstitute a caliphate”, he stated.
Although he acknowledged that many African conflicts originate from disputes over land, ethnicity and natural resources, Gorka maintained that ISIS has sought to exploit such grievances by injecting extremist ideology into local conflicts.
He said the United States is working closely with African governments to prevent terrorist organisations from taking advantage of those vulnerabilities.
Gorka further stated that relations between Washington and several African countries have improved considerably under the current administration.
According to him, American officials have reassured African governments that the United States is interested primarily in security cooperation rather than imposing political or ideological conditions.
“We’ve been working intelligently. I sent a team of mine out to Africa to some key states and said, ‘Look, we’re not here to tell you what to believe in. But if you’ve got a terrorist threat, that is a threat to us. Let’s work together”, Gorka said.
The counter-terrorism chief also defended President Trump’s decision to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation.
He argued that the group serves as the ideological foundation for several extremist organisations, including ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Hamas, describing the designation as one of the administration’s most significant national security decisions.
He warned that radical Islamist groups continue to pose serious threats to both Africa and the United States, adding that weak border controls and migration routes could be exploited by terrorists.
Nevertheless, he commended ongoing efforts by senior US homeland security officials to tighten border security and dismantle terrorist and cartel networks.
Providing insight into the decision-making process that led to the operation, Gorka said Trump approved the mission immediately after being briefed.
According to him, officials informed the President that a high-value ISIS operative had killed Americans and was planning additional attacks.
“We told the President, ‘This man has killed Americans and is planning to kill Americans. We’ve been watching him for a year and a half under the Biden administration.
“The President looked up from the Resolute Desk and said, ‘What do you mean we’re watching him? Kill him.’
“He took out his iconic Sharpie pen and ticked the ‘go’ box on the operational orders.
“Less than 30 hours later, I was in the Situation Room under the West Wing with the National Security Adviser and my counterterrorism team.
“We watched at exactly 8:45 on Saturday morning as this ISIS leader was permanently removed from the battlefield”, he noted.
Gorka added that President Trump subsequently declassified footage of the strike and published it on his Truth Social platform, describing the operation as one of the administration’s defining counter-terrorism successes.
