The United States has resumed aerial surveillance operations over Nigeria’s North-East, with renewed focus on militant activity inside the Sambisa Forest following recent airstrikes on suspected Islamic State fighters in Sokoto State.
The latest operation involves intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance flights aimed at monitoring insurgent movements in the region.
Okay News gathered that flight-tracking data shared by counterterrorism analysts shows a US-linked aircraft operating over Borno State, marking the continuation of an ongoing surveillance mission that briefly paused after Thursday night’s airstrikes. The aircraft, a modified Gulfstream jet commonly used for intelligence missions, is reportedly deployed to track activities of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Security sources say the surveillance flights, which began in late November from a US logistics base in Ghana, are part of broader efforts to gather intelligence on armed groups operating around the Lake Chad Basin. The missions are also believed to support efforts to locate an American pilot reportedly kidnapped in neighbouring Niger Republic.
The renewed aerial presence comes amid deepening security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States, following recent high-level meetings between officials of both countries.
