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Renewed intelligence operations target ISWAP strongholds in Borno as Washington deepens military cooperation with Abuja amid rising security concerns

The United States has resumed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations over Nigeria’s Sambisa Forest, days after conducting airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Sokoto State, signaling an intensification of its counterterrorism engagement in the country.

A Sahel-focused terrorism analyst, Brandon Philip, disclosed the renewed operations on Saturday, December 27, citing flight-tracking data that showed a U.S. aircraft operating over parts of northeastern Nigeria, particularly Borno State. According to the data, the aircraft involved is a Gulfstream V jet, a long-range plane commonly modified for intelligence-gathering missions.

Philip explained that the surveillance flights are focused on monitoring activities of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which maintains strongholds in Nigeria’s North-East and across the Lake Chad Basin. He noted that the United States resumed ISR missions over the Sambisa Forest after a brief one-day pause following the airstrikes carried out in Sokoto State.

Flight records further indicate that U.S. intelligence missions in Nigeria began on November 24, shortly after the aircraft departed from Ghana, which serves as a major logistics hub for U.S. military operations in Africa. Since then, the aircraft has reportedly flown over Nigerian airspace almost daily. The data also links the aircraft’s operations to Tenax Aerospace, a company known for providing specialised aviation services to the U.S. military.

When the surveillance missions initially commenced, a former U.S. official revealed that the operations were partly aimed at tracking an American pilot kidnapped in neighbouring Niger, while also gathering intelligence on militant groups operating within Nigeria.

The renewed ISR activity comes amid growing diplomatic and military engagements between Washington and Abuja. It follows a recent high-level meeting in Washington between Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, where both sides discussed strengthening security cooperation in response to escalating insurgency threats.

After the meeting, Hegseth stated that the U.S. Department of Defense would work “aggressively” with Nigeria to confront jihadist violence, particularly attacks targeting Christian communities. Former U.S. President Donald Trump also hinted at a sustained phase of military involvement, stating that further strikes would follow the initial Sokoto operation.

The resumption of surveillance flights over Sambisa Forest underscores a renewed and broader U.S. commitment to supporting Nigeria’s fight against terrorism, as both countries seek to curb the activities of ISWAP and other extremist groups destabilising the region.