A senior United States counterterrorism official has said that a cache of electronic materials seized during a recent operation against Islamic State militants in Nigeria was the largest haul of enemy electronic equipment recovered anywhere since the September 11, 2001 attacks. The claim points to the scale of the devices and intelligence materials taken from the fighters during the raid.
The disclosure was made by Sebastian Gorka, the United States Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, during an interview with a US conservative media organisation. He described the mission in Nigeria as one of the most significant counterterrorism successes recorded by the current administration.
According to Gorka, US intelligence agencies had begun examining the confiscated devices in order to gain deeper insight into the communications, networks, and operational methods of the Islamic State. He suggested that the recovered equipment could help build a clearer picture of how the group plans and coordinates its activities.
The official further stated that the operation had resulted in the killing of 199 jihadists in a single raid, which he characterised as the largest neutralisation of enemy fighters in a single counterterrorism operation since the September 11 attacks. The figure, like the rest of his account, was presented as the administration's own assessment of the mission.
Gorka likened the operation to scenes from a Hollywood action film, underlining how significant Washington considers both the raid itself and the volume of material recovered. His remarks framed the mission as a showcase of the results of intensified counterterrorism work in the region.
The claims were relayed on Nigerian television as part of continuing coverage of the security situation in the country, where the Islamic State West Africa Province, widely known as ISWAP, remains active particularly in the northeast. The group has been a central target of operations by Nigerian forces, who have worked in cooperation with the United States.
The figures and characterisations attributed to Gorka were presented as the US official's own account of the operation and have not been independently confirmed. They nonetheless underline the growing emphasis that both Washington and Abuja place on dismantling the networks and communications that sustain the insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria.