The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has clarified that recent comments by United States officials on the killing of 199 jihadists in Nigeria and the recovery of ISIS-linked weapons and electronic equipment do not refer to a new military operation.
The DHQ said the statements made by U.S. authorities were based on the declassification of details from a previously executed Nigeria–United States joint counter-terrorism operation conducted in May 2026.
Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Samaila Uba, said the operation had already been publicly acknowledged by Nigerian authorities, stressing that the latest disclosures only reflected information that was previously classified.
“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–U.S. joint operations and collaboration are very much on course,” he said.
The clarification followed remarks by the United States Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, Dr Sebastian Gorka, who described the mission as one of the most significant counter-terrorism operations conducted under the current U.S. administration.
Gorka said a large volume of intelligence material was recovered during the operation, describing the haul as unprecedented in scale in recent years.
“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.
He added that intelligence experts were currently analysing the materials to disrupt ISIS-linked communication networks and operations.
Gorka further noted that extremist groups continue to exploit ungoverned spaces in parts of Africa, particularly the Sahel region, to regroup and expand their activities.
He reaffirmed ongoing cooperation between the United States and Nigeria in counter-terrorism efforts, noting that both countries had strengthened collaboration through a Joint Working Group on Security established after high-level engagements in late 2025.
According to him, the partnership remains focused on intelligence sharing and coordinated operations against terrorist networks.
