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The United States has resumed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations over Nigeria’s North-East, with renewed focus on the notorious Sambisa Forest, following recent air strikes against ISIS-linked fighters in Sokoto State.
The renewed surveillance activity was disclosed on Saturday by Brant Philip, a Sahel-focused terrorism tracker, who shared flight-tracking data indicating the presence of a U.S. aircraft over Borno State.
According to the data, the aircraft involved was a Gulfstream V jet, a long-range platform commonly modified for intelligence-gathering missions.
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Philip said the operation was specifically targeted at the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the ISIS affiliate that operates largely in Nigeria’s North-East and across parts of the Lake Chad Basin.
“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,” Philip wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Open-source intelligence analysts who reviewed the flight-tracking information confirmed that the surveillance missions form part of a broader U.S. operation that began on November 24. The aircraft reportedly takes off from Ghana, which has increasingly served as a logistics and operational hub for American military activities in West Africa.
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The same aircraft, believed to be linked to Tenax Aerospace—a U.S.-based special mission aircraft provider known for working closely with the American military—has reportedly flown over Nigerian airspace almost daily since the operation commenced. Analysts note that such consistency suggests a sustained intelligence-gathering effort rather than a one-off mission.
Sources familiar with the operation said the ISR flights are serving multiple purposes. Beyond monitoring the movements and camps of ISWAP fighters in Sambisa and surrounding areas, the missions are also believed to be connected to efforts to locate an American pilot reportedly kidnapped in neighbouring Niger Republic. Additionally, the flights are said to be gathering broader intelligence on the structure, leadership, and operational patterns of militant groups operating across northern Nigeria.
The renewed U.S. surveillance comes at a sensitive diplomatic moment. It follows a recent meeting in Washington between Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and the U.S. Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth. That meeting took place against the backdrop of heightened tension after U.S. President Donald Trump issued strong warnings about possible American military intervention in Nigeria.
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After the meeting, Hegseth stated that the U.S. Department of Defence would work “aggressively” with Nigeria to address what he described as the persecution of Christians by jihadist groups. His comments drew both domestic and international attention, with analysts interpreting them as a signal of deeper U.S. involvement in Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts.
Thursday night’s air strikes in North-West Nigeria, reportedly aimed at ISIS-linked militants in Sokoto State, appear to be the first visible manifestation of that renewed commitment. President Trump described the strikes as the “first fulfillment” of his administration’s promise to confront jihadist violence more forcefully in Nigeria.
In a message released after the operation, Trump warned that additional strikes could follow, raising questions about the scope and duration of potential U.S. military action in the country.
Security experts say the combination of air strikes in the North-West and intensified surveillance over the North-East suggests a broader recalibration of U.S. strategy toward militant groups in Nigeria. While Sambisa Forest has long been a stronghold for Boko Haram factions and ISWAP, the emergence of ISIS-linked cells in North-Western states such as Sokoto has added a new layer of complexity to Nigeria’s security challenges.
Nigerian authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the resumed U.S. surveillance flights. However, analysts note that such operations typically involve varying degrees of coordination with local security agencies, even when details are kept out of the public domain.
As Nigeria continues to battle insurgency, banditry and terrorism across multiple regions, the renewed U.S. ISR operations underscore growing international concern over the evolving threat landscape—and signal that foreign powers may play an increasingly visible role in shaping the country’s counterterrorism response in the weeks ahead.
