The United States on Saturday resumed intelligence and surveillance operations over Nigerian territory, a day after conducting military strikes against Islamic State terrorists in Sokoto state.
Flight tracking data revealed that American surveillance aircraft returned to Nigerian airspace, focusing on the Sambisa forest region in Borno state.
The intelligence mission marks the continuation of operations that had paused briefly following Thursday’s anti-terror strikes.
Brant Philip, a terrorism analyst specialising in Sahel region security, disclosed the resumption of operations through flight tracking information.
The data indicated that a Gulfstream V aircraft, a long-range business jet frequently adapted for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance purposes, conducted the mission over Borno state.
According to Philip, Saturday’s surveillance activities targeted the Islamic State West Africa Province, the Nigerian affiliate of ISIS that maintains its primary operations in the northeast and the Lake Chad basin area.
“The United States resumed ISR operations today on ISWAP in the Sambisa forest, Borno state in northeast Nigeria, after a pause of one day following the strikes in Sokoto state,” he tweeted on X.
Flight tracking records show that American intelligence operations in Nigeria commenced on November 24, with the aircraft departing from Ghana, which serves as a logistical base for United States military activities in Africa.
The surveillance aircraft has maintained nearly daily flights over Nigerian territory since the mission’s inception.
The aircraft operator was identified through flight tracking data as Tenax Aerospace, a specialised mission aircraft provider that maintains close working relationships with the United States military.
A former American official revealed that the ongoing missions serve dual purposes: tracking an American pilot abducted in the neighbouring Niger Republic and gathering intelligence on militant organisations operating within Nigeria.
The intelligence operations commenced shortly after Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s national security adviser, held discussions with Pete Hegseth, the United States defence secretary, in Washington.
The meeting addressed President Donald Trump’s threats of military intervention in Nigeria.
Following the Washington meeting, Hegseth announced that his department would pursue an “aggressive” partnership with Nigeria to address what he described as the “persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists”.
