US Troops Killed 199 Jihadists In Nigeria, Trump Counterterrorism Adviser Claims

Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to United States President Donald Trump and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, has claimed that US troops killed 199 jihadists during a single operation in Nigeria, describing it as the largest enemy neutralisation by American forces since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Gorka made the claim during an interview with Marissa Streit, Chief Executive Officer of PragerU, a US conservative media organisation. The interview, which aired on June 24, focused on the Trump administration's counterterrorism strategy and recent military operations.

According to Gorka, the operation has since been declassified.

"I can talk about this because it has been declassified. The president is not nation-building; he's not going around the world like some lunatic neocon saying, 'we will turn the world into America,'" Gorka said.

He added that the operation demonstrated the administration's willingness to act decisively against groups considered a threat to the United States and Christians.

"Three weeks ago in Nigeria, and I watched it live from the situation room. It was like being in a Tom Clancy movie, but it's better because it's real. I watched our operatives kill 199 jihadists in one operation.

"That is the biggest neutralisation enemy killed in action since September the 11th. One hundred and ninety-nine jihadists who will not harm Americans again."

Gorka did not specify the exact operation he was referring to.

However, his remarks came weeks after joint US-Nigerian counterterrorism operations in northeastern Nigeria.

On May 15, a joint operation reportedly killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, identified as the second-in-command of ISIS in the Lake Chad Basin. President Bola Tinubu had announced that several ISIS commanders were also eliminated during the operation.

A separate joint operation carried out on May 30 reportedly resulted in the deaths of 21 suspected ISWAP fighters.

It remains unclear whether Gorka's comments referred to one of those operations or another mission that has not been publicly detailed.

The US counterterrorism official also claimed that forces recovered an unprecedented quantity of electronic intelligence during the raid.

"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," he said.

According to Gorka, intelligence analysts are examining the recovered mobile phones, computers and other electronic devices to better understand the recruitment, communications, financing and operational activities of ISIS affiliates.

He argued that the intelligence gathered would significantly strengthen ongoing global counterterrorism efforts.

Speaking on the security situation across Africa, Gorka said extremist groups have increasingly shifted their activities to the continent, particularly the Sahel region, where they exploit weak governance, existing conflicts and local instability to expand their influence.

He also claimed that the growth of Christian populations in parts of Africa has made the region a target for jihadist groups, while reiterating that the United States remains committed to working with African partners to combat terrorism.

While Gorka's remarks have attracted attention, US authorities have not publicly released additional operational details identifying the specific mission in which the claimed 199 jihadists were killed. Likewise, Nigerian authorities have not publicly confirmed the casualty figure cited by the White House official.