A secret joint operation involving U.S. and Nigerian forces killed 199 suspected ISIS fighters last month, including a senior terrorist leader, in what President Donald Trump’s top counterterrorism adviser described as one of the most significant counterterrorism missions since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, said President Trump authorized the mission targeting Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a senior ISIS figure operating in Nigeria.
According to Gorka, the operation not only eliminated al-Minuki but also resulted in the recovery of significant intelligence materials tied to ISIS activity across West Africa, potentially aiding future counterterrorism efforts in the region.
The disclosure provides one of the clearest public insights yet into ongoing U.S. counterterrorism operations in Africa, where ISIS-affiliated groups have expanded their footprint in recent years amid political instability, weak governance, and ongoing regional conflicts.
Officials say these conditions have allowed extremist networks to establish operational bases and recruitment pipelines across multiple countries.
Gorka said the latest strike delivered a substantial setback to those efforts, disrupting both leadership structure and communications channels.
Speaking on the “Just the News, No Noise” television program, Gorka said the mission resulted in the deaths of 199 enemy combatants and represented a major milestone in the broader fight against ISIS and affiliated organizations.
He also stated that approximately 1,031 jihadists have been killed during Trump’s second term through a series of coordinated counterterrorism operations spanning multiple regions.
“This is a historic moment, because that operation in Nigeria … that one operation led to the killing of 199 enemies,” Gorka said. “That is the most successful counterterrorism operation since September 11.”
Gorka credited the outcome to close coordination between the National Security Council, the Department of Defense, and the State Department, describing the operation as an example of integrated interagency planning.
He said intelligence recovered during the mission could support ongoing efforts to map ISIS networks, identify leadership hierarchies, and prevent future attacks across Africa and beyond.
The counterterrorism adviser also contrasted the current approach with previous administrations, arguing that Trump adopted a more aggressive posture against ISIS during his first term after rejecting the idea that the United States should simply contain the group rather than eliminate its operational capacity.
He pointed to the collapse of ISIS’s self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria as evidence of that strategy’s effectiveness.
Gorka further argued that remnants of ISIS were able to reconstitute after counterterrorism pressure was reduced under former President Joe Biden.
He said those surviving elements exploited gaps in enforcement and instability in regions such as Nigeria and broader West Africa to rebuild recruitment networks and operational strength.
According to Gorka, the latest operation reflects a renewed focus on disrupting those rebuilding efforts before they can translate into expanded attacks or territorial control.
Officials said the mission fits into a wider counterterrorism strategy focused on stopping ISIS-linked groups from re-emerging beyond the Middle East.
