US seizes largest terror electronics intelligence since 9/11 in Nigeria operation

The United States recovered what it described as its largest cache of terrorist electronic intelligence since the September 11, 2001 attacks during a recent counterterrorism operation in Nigeria, according to Sebastian Gorka, the US senior director for Counterterrorism.

Gorka said the volume of electronic equipment seized from terrorist camps was so extensive that an additional aircraft was needed to transport the materials out of Nigeria for analysis.

Speaking during a recent podcast, Gorka described the intelligence haul as unprecedented in the post-9/11 era.

“From that raid we brought home, we needed an extra plane to bring home all the electronic material that we captured in those camps,” he said.

“And the haul was three times bigger than any enemy electronics haul since 9-11.”

According to him, intelligence experts are now analysing the recovered devices to understand how the ISIS group communicates and coordinates its operations.

“Now our experts are taking apart all of that information, looking how ISIS is communicating with each other,” Gorka said.

He said the operation also resulted in the deaths of 199 terrorists, describing it as the largest single enemy neutralisation by US forces since the September 11 terrorist attacks.

“I watched our operators kill 199 jihadis in one operation,” he said, adding that he monitored the mission live from the White House Situation Room.

“You want to know whether we’re winning? 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.”

Earlier in May, the United States in collaboration with the Nigerian military killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a senior ISIS leader, in the Lake Chad region.

President Donald Trump described al-Minuki as the “second in command of ISIS globally” and “the most active terrorist in the world”.

The development comes amid heightened tensions between Abuja and Washington following the decision by US President Donald Trump to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) in November 2025 over alleged religious persecution.

The designation triggered a series of diplomatic engagements, with the Nigerian government rejecting claims of targeted attacks against Christians and insisting that insecurity in the country is driven by terrorism, banditry and organised crime affecting both Christians and Muslims.

The diplomatic push coincided with deeper security cooperation between both countries. On Christmas Day, Nigeria confirmed US airstrikes on terrorist enclaves in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State, marking the first publicly acknowledged American military action on Nigerian soil.

In addition, hundreds of US troops have since been deployed to Nigeria to support and train local forces in counterterrorism operations.

Nigeria has also stepped up lobbying efforts in Washington. In December, the government, through Aster Legal, engaged US consulting firm DCI Group under a $4.5 million contract to counter allegations of genocide and sustain American support for its security operations.

Earlier in February, Oluremi Tinubu, Nigeria’s first lady, attended the US National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, where Trump described her as a “very respected” Christian leader.