The United States resumed intelligence and surveillanceoperations in Nigeria on Saturday, following late Thursday’s strikes on ISISterrorists in Sokoto. Brant Philip, a Sahel-focused terrorism tracker, sharedflight tracking data that showed the aircraft flying over Borno state. The aircraft was a Gulfstream V, a long-range business jetoften modified for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions,according to the data. Philip said Saturday’s intelligence operations focused onthe 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 inthe Sambisa forest, Borno state in northeast Nigeria, after a pause of one dayfollowing the strikes in Sokoto state,” he tweeted on X. Flight tracking data showed that the US began intelligenceoperations in Nigeria on November 24 after taking off from Ghana, a hub for theAmerican military’s logistics network in Africa. The aircraft has flown over Nigeria almost daily since thestart 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 saidthe missions include tracking an American pilot who was kidnapped inneighbouring Niger Republic and gathering intelligence on militant groupsoperating in Nigeria. The intelligence operations in Nigeria took off days afterNuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA), met Pete Hegseth, US defencesecretary, in Washington over President Donald Trump’s military interventionthreats. After the meeting, Hegseth said his department would work“aggressively” with Nigeria to end the alleged “persecution of Christians byjihadist terrorists." Thursday night was the first of the threat’s fulfilment.Trump said more strikes would follow.
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