The United States has been conducting daily intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November, signaling deepened security coordination between the two countries.
According to an exclusive report by Reuters, which cited flight tracking data and current and former U.S. officials, contractor-operated aircraft have been taking off from Accra, Ghana, flying over Nigeria, and returning to base almost daily since November 24.
The flights, operated by the U.S.-based firm Tenax Aerospace, follow threats by former U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene in Nigeria over violence against Christian communities. An analyst noted the operations appear to be part of Washington's effort to rebuild its intelligence-gathering capacity in West Africa after being expelled from a key airbase in Niger last year.
While the Pentagon declined to comment on specific intelligence activities, officials stated the U.S. is working with Nigeria to address religious violence and terrorism. One former official suggested the missions are focused on gathering intelligence on militant groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), as well as assisting in the search for a kidnapped U.S. pilot in neighboring Niger.
A Nigerian security source indicated the flights were agreed upon during a high-level security meeting between the two nations on November 20. Nigeria's government has consistently stated that the complex security crisis affects both Muslim and Christian communities and that U.S. characterizations of the violence oversimplify the situation.
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