The United States has revealed that a recent joint counterterrorism operation with Nigerian security forces resulted in the killing of 199 suspected jihadists and the seizure of what it described as the largest collection of enemy electronic intelligence materials recovered since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
A senior White House counterterrorism official, Sebastian Gorka, said the scale of the intelligence haul was so unprecedented that an additional aircraft had to be deployed to transport the recovered electronic equipment to the United States for detailed forensic and intelligence analysis.
Gorka, who serves as the United States Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, made the disclosure during an interview with Marissa Streit, Chief Executive Officer of PragerU.
According to him, the operation ranks among the most successful counterterrorism missions undertaken by the current US administration, both in terms of the number of militants neutralised and the volume of strategic intelligence recovered.
He disclosed that analysts were already examining the confiscated computers, communication devices and other electronic equipment to uncover how the Islamic State (ISIS) communicates, recruits and coordinates its operations across different regions.
Describing the mission as a landmark success, Gorka said the 199 militants killed during the single operation constituted the highest number of enemy combatants eliminated in one counterterrorism raid since the September 11 attacks in the United States.
“I can talk about this because it has been declassified,” Gorka said, explaining that he monitored the operation live from the White House Situation Room.
He added that beyond the military success, the intelligence value of the recovered electronic materials could prove even more significant, noting that the volume of devices seized was three times larger than any previous enemy electronics recovery made by the United States since 9/11.
According to him, the recovered data is expected to provide critical insights into the operational structure, communication systems and international networks of ISIS, strengthening ongoing global efforts to dismantle terrorist organisations.
Gorka further stated that more than 1,000 jihadists had been killed globally since President Donald Trump’s administration intensified its counterterrorism campaign.
Explaining why Africa has become a major focus of US security operations, he said terrorist organisations continue to exploit poorly governed territories across the continent to regroup, recruit fighters and establish operational bases.
“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 said.
The operation was carried out in collaboration with the Nigerian Government as part of the expanding security partnership between both countries.
Nigeria and the United States significantly strengthened their counterterrorism cooperation in December 2025, broadening collaboration in intelligence sharing, military capacity building and strategic security planning.
That partnership gained further momentum following a high-level meeting in Washington, D.C., in November 2025 between senior US officials and a Nigerian delegation led by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, during which both countries agreed to establish the Nigeria-US Joint Working Group on Security.
President Bola Tinubu subsequently approved the composition of the Nigerian delegation to the Joint Working Group, with Ribadu serving as chairman. Other members include the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Interior and Humanitarian Affairs, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency and the Inspector-General of Police.
The enhanced security collaboration has since produced a series of coordinated operations, including joint counterterrorism raids in northern Nigeria in December 2025 and the delivery of additional US military equipment to Nigerian security agencies in January 2026 to strengthen ongoing operations against insurgent groups.
As part of the deepening bilateral security relationship, Ribadu also held a strategic meeting with United States Vice President J. D. Vance, where he briefed the American government on the Federal Government’s ongoing security reforms and operational measures aimed at confronting terrorism, banditry and other emerging security threats across Nigeria.
