U.S military resumes surveillance operations in Sambisa Forest after air strikes in Sokoto

Sunday, December 28, 2025 -The United States has resumed intelligence and surveillance operations in Nigeria, days after carrying out airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Sokoto State.

A Sahel-focused terrorism analyst, Brandon Philip, shared flight-tracking data on Saturday, December 27, indicating that a U.S. aircraft was operating over parts of northeastern Nigeria, including Borno State.

According to the data, the aircraft involved was a Gulfstream V — a long-range jet frequently modified for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. Philip said the renewed operations were focused on the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which operates mainly in Nigeria’s North-East and 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.

Flight records show that U.S. intelligence missions in Nigeria began on November 24, after the aircraft departed from Ghana, which serves as a key logistics hub for the U.S. military in Africa. Since then, the aircraft has reportedly flown over Nigeria almost daily.

The flight data linked the aircraft operator to Tenax Aerospace, a firm known to provide specialised aviation services for the U.S. military.

When the surveillance missions first began, a former U.S. official said the operations were aimed at tracking an American pilot kidnapped in neighbouring Niger, as well as gathering intelligence on militant groups active in Nigeria.

The renewed ISR activity follows a recent meeting in Washington between Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The talks came amid threats by former U.S. president Donald Trump of possible military intervention over security concerns in Nigeria.

After the meeting, Hegseth said the U.S. Department of Defense would work “aggressively” with Nigeria to address what he described as the persecution of Christians by jihadist groups. Trump later said further strikes would follow the initial operation in Sokoto, signalling a sustained phase of U.S. military engagement.