US Warplanes Back in Nigerian Skies: Washington Resumes Spy Flights After Crushing ISIS in Sokoto

The United States has dramatically resumed high-level intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) flights over Nigeria, barely days after its precision airstrikes devastated ISIS-linked terror enclaves in Sokoto State—signalling an intensification of Washington’s counter-terrorism posture in West Africa.
Flight-tracking data and terrorism analysts confirmed that US intelligence aircraft were back in Nigerian airspace on Saturday, marking a swift return to operations after a brief pause following last week’s deadly strikes on Islamic State strongholds in the northwest.
Renowned Sahel-focused terrorism tracker, Brant Philip, revealed that a Gulfstream V jet—a long-range aircraft frequently modified for covert ISR missions—was detected conducting extensive surveillance flights over Borno State, the epicentre of insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast.
According to Philip, the renewed operations are squarely focused on the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the ISIS affiliate entrenched in the Sambisa Forest and the Lake Chad Basin.
“The United States resumed ISR operations today on ISWAP in the Sambisa Forest, Borno State, after a one-day pause following the strikes in Sokoto State,” Philip disclosed on 𝕏.
Flight-tracking records further show that the surveillance mission began as far back as November 24, shortly after the aircraft departed from Ghana, a known logistical and operational hub for the US Africa Command (AFRICOM). Since then, the aircraft has reportedly flown almost daily missions across Nigerian territory, underscoring the scale and seriousness of the operation.
Investigations into the aircraft’s ownership linked it to Tenax Aerospace, a special-mission aviation firm known to work closely with the US military on sensitive intelligence and counter-terrorism assignments.
Security sources disclosed that when the ISR flights initially commenced, they were partly aimed at locating an American pilot kidnapped in neighbouring Niger Republic, while simultaneously gathering actionable intelligence on militant networks operating across Nigeria’s vast conflict zones.
Notably, the resumption of the intelligence flights came shortly after Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, held high-level talks in Washington with US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth—a meeting widely seen as pivotal in deepening US-Nigeria security cooperation.
The engagement followed strong public statements from the Pentagon pledging to work “aggressively” with Nigerian authorities to halt what it described as the persecution of Christians by jihadist terrorists across parts of the country.
Last Thursday night’s devastating airstrike in Sokoto State marked the first concrete execution of President Donald Trump’s vow to confront ISIS threats targeting Nigeria. Trump has since warned that the Sokoto operation would not be the last, hinting at sustained military pressure on terror groups operating in the region.
With US spy planes once again criss-crossing Nigerian skies and Washington signalling zero tolerance for jihadist expansion, security analysts say Nigeria may be entering a new and decisive phase in the global war against terrorism—one that could significantly reshape the balance against ISIS and its affiliates.