The United States resumed intelligence and surveillance operations in Nigeria on Saturday, following late Thursday’s strikes on ISIS terrorists in Sokoto.
Brant Philip, a Sahel-focused terrorism tracker, shared
flight tracking data that showed the aircraft flying over Borno state.
The aircraft was a Gulfstream V, a long-range business jet
often modified for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions,
according to the data.
Philip said Saturday’s intelligence operations focused on
the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the ISIS affiliate in Nigeria,
which operates primarily in the north-east and 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,” he tweeted on X.
Flight tracking data showed that the US began intelligence
operations in Nigeria on November 24 after taking off from Ghana, a hub for the
American military’s logistics network in Africa.
The aircraft has flown over Nigeria almost daily since the
start of the mission.
Flight tracking data linked the operator to Tenax Aerospace,
a special mission aircraft provider which works closely with the US military.
At the time the operations began, a former US official said
the missions include tracking an American pilot who was kidnapped in
neighbouring Niger Republic and gathering intelligence on militant groups
operating in Nigeria.
The intelligence operations in Nigeria took off days after
Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA), met Pete Hegseth, US defence
secretary, in Washington over President Donald Trump’s military intervention
threats.
After the meeting, Hegseth said his department would work
“aggressively” with Nigeria to end the alleged “persecution of Christians by
jihadist terrorists."
Thursday night was the first of the threat’s fulfilment.
Trump said more strikes would follow.
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