Trump's Aide Alleges 199 Jihadists Died in US Operation in Nigeria

Sebastian Gorka, who served as Deputy Assistant to then-US President Donald Trump and held the position of senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, has asserted that American forces eliminated 199 jihadists during a single military intervention in Nigeria. Gorka made these revelations during an interview with Marissa Streit, CEO of the conservative media entity PragerU, which was broadcast on June 24. In the discussion, he focused on US counterterrorism strategies.

Addressing the ongoing global efforts against extremist Islamist groups, Gorka stated: “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.'" He further elaborated that while the US President avoids nation-building, he sends a resolute message if Americans are threatened or if Christians are targeted for their faith. Gorka cited the 'Christmas Day strike' and a major operation in Nigeria three weeks prior to the interview. Recounting the Nigerian incident, he said: “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.”

He characterized this alleged operation as the most significant “neutralisation” of enemy combatants since the September 11 attacks. Gorka underscored its importance by adding: “Now, why is this important? 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.” It was not immediately clear which specific mission Gorka was referring to, given that US and Nigerian military units have previously collaborated on operations targeting ISIS-linked and ISWAP militants within the Lake Chad Basin region.

Furthermore, Gorka claimed that the operation yielded a substantial volume of electronic intelligence. “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,” he explained. He concluded by highlighting Africa's emerging role as a critical theatre for counterterrorism efforts, attributing this to the proliferation of extremist groups capitalising on regional instability and local conflicts, while also noting the US's interest in fostering security partnerships across the continent.