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Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to US President Donald Trump and senior director for counterterrorism at the national security council, says US troops killed 199 jihadists in a single operation in Nigeria.
Gorka spoke in an interview with Marissa Streit, the chief executive officer (CEO) of PragerU, a US conservative media organisation, which aired on June 24.
Speaking on US counterterrorism efforts, Gorka cited what he described as the country’s ongoing victory against Islamist extremists.
“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 said.
“But if you’re threatening Americans, or if you’re targeting Christians because they’re Christians, he has a very strong message to send to you, whether it was his Christmas Day strike or, three weeks ago, what we did in Nigeria.
“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.
“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 whether Gorka was referring to the joint US-Nigeria May 15 operation that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIS in the Lake Chad Basin, or the May 30 joint operation that reportedly killed 21 ISWAP fighters.
President Bola Tinubu had said “several” ISIS lieutenants were killed alongside Al-Minuki during the May 15 operation.
US officials also said they recovered electronic equipment during the operation and that analysts were examining the cell phones, laptop computers and other electronic records for information on the recruitment, operational and financial activities of ISIS affiliates in Africa and elsewhere.
Gorka added that the electronic equipment recovered in the operation he referred to was also the largest haul since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Asked why the fight against terrorism has largely been in Africa, Gorka said the rising Christian population on the continent makes the region a target for jihadist fighters.
He noted that ISIS has compounded insecurity in the Sahel by taking advantage of weak governance structures and exploiting pre-existing conflicts outside religion to push an Islamist narrative.
Gorka said the US has explored mutually beneficial security partnerships with African countries and is committed to eliminating threats around the world.
