The Defence Headquarters has explained that the recent announcement by the United States about the killing of 199 jihadists and the recovery of a large quantity of ISIS weapons, ammunition and electronic devices does not relate to a new military operation.
According to the military, the mission was carried out in May 2026 as part of a joint counter terrorism operation involving Nigeria and the United States. It added that the details recently made public by American authorities were previously classified and have only now been released.
The Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, made this known during an interview on Monday.
He clarified that the operation had already been communicated to the public when it was conducted, stressing that the latest information was simply part of the classified details that have now been declassified.
According to him, the security partnership between Nigeria and the United States remains active, with both countries continuing to work closely in the fight against terrorism.
The clarification came after comments by the United States Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, Dr Sebastian Gorka, who described the operation as one of the most successful counter terrorism missions carried out by the current US administration.
Gorka revealed that the mission led to the recovery of the largest collection of enemy electronic equipment since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. He said the quantity of materials seized was so large that an additional aircraft was needed to transport them, adding that the recovered electronic devices were three times more than any previous haul recorded since the 2001 attacks.
He explained that intelligence experts are now examining the equipment to better understand how ISIS members communicate and coordinate their activities. According to him, the information gathered will play an important role in disrupting the group’s operations and weakening its network.
Gorka also maintained that the fight against terrorism requires continuous action rather than waiting for attacks to occur. He warned that extremist groups are still taking advantage of areas with little or no government presence across Africa to regroup and rebuild their networks.
The renewed security partnership between Nigeria and the United States followed the visit of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to Washington in November 2025. That engagement led to the creation of a Joint Working Group on Security, which has since coordinated joint operations targeting terrorist strongholds in Nigeria’s North East.
Gorka stressed that sustained cooperation remains essential because terrorist organisations continue to search for ungoverned territories where they can reorganise and attempt to establish new bases of operation, particularly in parts of Africa where they believe they can operate with little resistance.
