The Sambisa Forest in northeastern Nigeria has long been synonymous with the terror inflicted by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

As a remote, expansive, and dense area, it has served as a crucial operational base, training ground, and hideout for these insurgent groups. In response to the persistent threat and the difficulty Nigerian forces face in maintaining constant surveillance over such a large territory, international partners, particularly the United States, have become increasingly involved in intelligence gathering operations.

The launch of US spy flights over the Sambisa Forest represents a significant escalation in external support aimed at enhancing counter-terrorism efforts in the Lake Chad Basin region. These intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance ISR missions are critical for providing actionable data to ground forces, thereby shifting the dynamic of the ongoing conflict.