The United States has resumed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations over Nigeria, just days after launching airstrikes against ISIS-linked militants in Sokoto State, according to flight-tracking data and counterterrorism analysts.
On Saturday, Brant Philip, a terrorism tracker focused on the Sahel region, shared flight data showing a Gulfstream V aircraft operating over Borno State. The long-range jet is commonly modified for ISR missions and is often used to gather high-level intelligence.
Philip said the renewed operations were aimed at the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the ISIS affiliate active mainly in northeastern Nigeria and around the Lake Chad basin. According to him, the flights resumed after a one-day pause that followed the US strikes in Sokoto State.
Flight records indicate that the intelligence mission began on November 24, with the aircraft departing from Ghana, a key logistical hub for the US military in Africa. Since then, the jet has reportedly conducted near-daily flights over Nigerian territory.
Further data linked the aircraft’s operator to Tenax Aerospace, a company known for providing special-mission aircraft in support of US military operations.
When the flights first began, a former US official said the mission involved tracking an American pilot kidnapped in neighboring Niger Republic, while also collecting actionable intelligence on militant groups operating inside Nigeria.
The resumption of surveillance flights comes shortly after Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, met with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington. The meeting followed Pentagon statements pledging to work “aggressively” with Nigerian authorities to counter jihadist violence, including attacks on Christian communities.
Last Thursday’s airstrike in Sokoto marked the first concrete action tied to US President Donald Trump’s pledge to confront ISIS-linked threats in the region. Trump has since indicated that additional strikes could follow.
