Nigeria Raid Killed 199 Jihadists In One Operation – US

The United States has described a recent counterterrorism operation in Nigeria as one of its most significant successes in the fight against jihadist groups, recovering what it calls the largest cache of enemy electronic equipment since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the U.S. National Security Council, made the disclosure in an interview with PragerU CEO Marissa Streit.

Gorka stated that U.S. operatives, in coordination with Nigerian forces, conducted a raid approximately three weeks ago that neutralised 199 jihadists in a single operation.

“That is the biggest neutralisation of enemy killed in action since September 11. Two hundred and ninety-nine jihadists who will not harm Americans again,” Gorka said.

He added that the operation yielded an intelligence haul so substantial that an additional aircraft was required to transport the recovered electronic materials.

“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,” he said.

According to Gorka, the recovered materials are being analysed for intelligence on Islamic State (ISIS) and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) communication networks, financing, operational planning and international links.

Speaking on how the operation was authorised, Gorka said President Donald Trump approved the mission after being briefed on the threat posed by the targeted militants.

“We told the President, this man has killed Americans and is planning to kill Americans. He ticked the ‘go box’ on the operational orders we had in front of him.”

Gorka also said Africa has increasingly become a focus for ISIS because of vast ungoverned territories where extremist groups can regroup after defeats elsewhere.

He further disclosed that the administration’s current counterterrorism campaign has resulted in the neutralisation of more than 1,000 jihadists globally.

Details of the specific location and exact date of the raid were not publicly specified, although reports have linked it to operations in Borno State targeting ISWAP elements, including the reported elimination of a high-value target.

The announcement underscores ongoing U.S.-Nigeria security cooperation against terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin and the wider Sahel. Nigerian and U.S. forces have collaborated on intelligence sharing, training and equipment support in efforts to combat Boko Haram and ISWAP.

No independent verification of the casualty figures or the scale of the intelligence recovered had been released by Nigerian authorities as of the time of reporting.