US Restarts Surveillance Flights Over North-East Nigeria Following Sokoto Strikes

The United States has resumed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) flights across North-East Nigeria in the aftermath of recent airstrikes targeting suspected Islamic State positions in Sokoto State.

The development was disclosed by Sahel-based terrorism analyst, Brant Philip, who shared flight-tracking information on X, formerly Twitter. The data revealed the movement of a surveillance aircraft operating over Borno State.
The aircraft, identified as a modified Gulfstream V, is commonly deployed for extended-range missions involving intelligence gathering and aerial surveillance.
Philip explained that the renewed ISR operations are concentrated on monitoring the activities of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a terror group active in the North-East region and around the Lake Chad Basin.
He further noted that surveillance flights had resumed over the Sambisa Forest after a brief one-day suspension that followed the Sokoto airstrikes.
The renewed flights underscore ongoing efforts to track and counter extremist activities within the region.