The United States has resumed intelligence and surveillance operations in parts of Nigeria, just 48 hours after executing airstrikes against suspected Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists in Sokoto State.
Flight tracking data revealed that an American aircraft was spotted over Borno State on Saturday as part of renewed efforts to monitor insurgent activities in the North-East.
Brant Philip, a terrorism analyst focused on the Sahel region, reported this development on Saturday, stating that the operation aimed to track the activities of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the area.
The aircraft involved in the operation was identified as a Gulfstream V jet, a long-range plane often used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
Philip noted that Saturday’s intelligence operations were concentrated on ISWAP, the ISIS affiliate in Nigeria, which primarily operates in the north-east and the Lake Chad basin.
“The United States resumed ISR operations today on ISWAP in the Sambisa forest, Borno state in northeast Nigeria, after a one-day pause following the strikes in Sokoto state,” he tweeted on X.
Flight tracking data indicated that the surveillance mission commenced on November 24 after the aircraft took off from Ghana, which serves as a logistics hub for the US military in Africa.
The jet has reportedly been flying over Nigerian airspace nearly every day since the operation began.
Read also:
- Keyamo backs US airstrikes, says Nigeria must accept help to defeat terrorism
- Expert explains why Sokoto was chosen as first target in U.S airstrikes against ISIS
- Emir of Kano,Sanusi II celebrates Christmas in Abia commends Gov Otti’s achievements
Further investigations linked the aircraft’s operator to Tenax Aerospace, a special mission aviation company known to collaborate with the US military.
A former US official also mentioned that the mission included efforts to locate an American pilot who was kidnapped in neighboring Niger Republic, as well as to gather intelligence on armed groups operating in Nigeria.
The renewed surveillance followed a meeting between the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington, where they reportedly discussed security cooperation and US concerns regarding attacks by jihadist groups.
After the meeting, Hegseth stated that his department would work “aggressively” with Nigeria to address the alleged “persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists.”
The airstrikes in Sokoto State on Thursday were described as the first tangible result of the US government’s stance, with President Donald Trump reportedly suggesting that additional strikes could occur.
