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After the Christmas Day airstrikes carried out by the United States in Sokoto State, the US Department of War has commenced what it calls intelligence and surveillance flights over the notorious Sambisa Forest in Borno State.
A top US security analyst and terrorism tracker focused on the Sahel region, Brant Philip, who disclosed the information on his X account on Saturday, shared flight-tracking data indicating that the aircraft operated over Sambisa with the aim of locating terrorists’ hideouts.
According to the data shared by
Philip, the surveillance aircraft used by the War Department is a Gulfstream V, a long-range business jet commonly adapted for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
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Philip stated that Saturday’s operations were focused on the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the Nigerian affiliate of ISIS, which is active mainly in the North-East and the Lake Chad basin.
“The United States resumed ISR operations today (Saturday) on ISWAP in the Sambisa forest, Borno State in northeast Nigeria, after a pause of one day following the strikes in Sokoto state,” he wrote on X.
He noted that the flight-tracking records showed that the US began intelligence operations in Nigeria on November 24, with the aircraft departing from Ghana, a key hub in the US military’s African logistics network.
“Since the mission began, the aircraft has flown over Nigeria almost every day. Additional flight data linked the operator to Tenax Aerospace, a special-mission aircraft provider that works closely with the US military,” Phillip added.
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