The United States has restarted its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) flights over northeastern Nigeria, specifically targeting the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Sambisa forest. This move comes just days after American forces conducted airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Sokoto State.
Flight Data Reveals Renewed Operations
On Saturday, December 27, terrorism analyst Brandon Philip shared flight-tracking data indicating a U.S. aircraft was active over parts of Borno State. According to the information, the aircraft involved was a Gulfstream V jet, a type of long-range plane often modified for specialized spy missions.
Philip stated on the social media platform X that the operations had resumed after a brief pause following the Sokoto strikes. "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 wrote.
A Sustained Campaign of Surveillance
Flight records indicate that these U.S. intelligence missions over Nigeria began on November 24. The aircraft reportedly departed from Ghana, which serves as a critical logistics hub for American military activities in Africa. Since that initial flight, the plane has been operating over Nigerian airspace on an almost daily basis.
The tracking data linked the aircraft's operator to Tenax Aerospace, a company known for providing specialized aviation services to the U.S. military. When these surveillance flights first commenced, a former U.S. official cited two primary objectives:
- Tracking an American pilot who was kidnapped in neighboring Niger.
- Gathering intelligence on militant groups operating within Nigeria.
High-Level Talks and Future Implications
The resumption of surveillance follows a significant meeting in Washington between Nigeria's National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. These discussions occurred against a backdrop of heightened security concerns and threats of potential military intervention from former U.S. President Donald Trump.
After the meeting, Secretary Hegseth declared that the U.S. Department of Defense would work "aggressively" with Nigeria to address what he termed the persecution of Christians by jihadist groups. Trump later signaled that the initial Sokoto operation was not an isolated event, promising further strikes and indicating a sustained phase of U.S. military engagement in the region.
The renewed focus on ISWAP in the Lake Chad Basin and Sambisa forest underscores the ongoing international dimension of Nigeria's security challenges and the deepening cooperation between Nigerian and American defense authorities.
