The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has clarified that recent statements by United States officials regarding the killing of 199 jihadists in Nigeria and the recovery of ISIS-linked weapons and electronic equipment do not relate to a fresh military operation.
According to the DHQ, the information released by US authorities was the declassification of details from a joint Nigeria–US counter-terrorism operation carried out in May 2026.
Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, explained that the operation had already been announced by Nigerian authorities at the time, stressing that the latest US comments only disclosed previously classified aspects of the mission.
“This is not a new operation. We have previously communicated our highly successful joint operations in May. What you are hearing are some declassified information concerning our previous operation being given out now. However, Nigeria-US joint operations and collaboration are very much on course,” he said.
The clarification comes after US Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, Dr. Sebastian Gorka, described the mission as one of the most significant counter-terrorism operations conducted under the current US administration.
Gorka revealed that the operation yielded an unprecedented volume of intelligence, saying an additional aircraft was required to transport the electronic materials recovered from terrorist camps.
“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,” he said.
He added that the intelligence gathered would significantly enhance efforts to dismantle ISIS-linked networks.
“We are not watching and waiting. We are dealing death to bad people,” Gorka stated, while warning that extremist groups continue to exploit ungoverned areas across parts of Africa, particularly the Sahel, to rebuild and expand their operations.
He also reaffirmed that security cooperation between the United States and Nigeria remains a key pillar of ongoing counter-terrorism efforts, following the creation of a Joint Working Group on Security after high-level bilateral engagements in late 2025.
