US resumes surveillance flights over North-East Nigeria after Sokoto strikes

The United States has restarted intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) flights over North-East Nigeria after recent airstrikes on suspected Islamic State targets in Sokoto State.

The update was shared by Sahel terrorism analyst Brant Philip, who posted flight-tracking data on X.

The data showed a surveillance aircraft flying over Borno State.

The plane, identified as a modified Gulfstream V, is typically used for long-range missions that include surveillance and intelligence gathering.

According to Philip, the renewed activity is focused on the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which operates around the North-East and the Lake Chad Basin.

He noted that ISR flights resumed over the Sambisa Forest after a one-day pause following the Sokoto strikes.

Records indicate the U.S. began these flights on November 24 after the aircraft departed Ghana, a key logistics base for American military activity in Africa.

Since then, the plane has reportedly flown over Nigeria almost daily.

The aircraft is linked to Tenax Aerospace, a contractor known for providing special-mission aircraft to the U.S. military.

Earlier, a former U.S. official said the missions were designed to help track an American pilot kidnapped in Niger Republic and to monitor armed groups in the region.

The flights began shortly after Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, met with U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington.

Following the meeting — and after warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump about possible military action — Hegseth said the Pentagon would work closely with Nigeria to address attacks by extremist groups.

The reported airstrikes in Sokoto are seen as the first major step following those discussions, with Trump saying additional actions may follow.