By Jessica Donati and Idrees Ali
Dec 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. has been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November, according to flight tracking data and current and former U.S. officials, in a sign of increased security cooperation between the countries.
Reuters could not determine what information the flights are meant to obtain.
But the flights in West Africa follow U.S. President Donald Trump's threats in November to militarily intervene in Nigeria over
what he says is its failure to stop violence targeting Christian communities. The flights also are occurring just months after a U.S. pilot working for a missionary agency was kidnapped in neighboring Niger.
The U.S. contractor-operated aircraft used for the surveillance operations typically takes off from Ghana and flies over Nigeria before returning to Accra, the Ghanaian capital, the tracking data for December shows.
Flight tracking data shows the operator is Mississippi-based Tenax Aerospace, which provides special mission aircraft and works closely with the U.S. military, according to the company's website. Tenax Aerospace did not respond to a request for comment.
Liam Karr, the Africa Team Lead for the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, has analyzed the flight data. He said the operation appeared to be running out of an airport in Accra, a known hub for the U.S. military's logistics network in Africa.
Karr said the operation was an early sign the U.S. was rebuilding its capacity in the region after Niger ordered U.S. troops to leave a sprawling, newly built air base in the desert last year, and turned instead to Russia for security assistance.
"In recent weeks we've seen a resumption of intelligence and surveillance flights in Nigeria," Karr said in an interview.
A former U.S. official said the aircraft is among several assets the Trump administration moved to Ghana in November. It is unclear how many aircraft remain in Ghana, but the former official said the missions include tracking down the kidnapped U.S. pilot and gathering intelligence on militant groups operating in Nigeria. Boko Haram and its splinter organization, Islamic State West Africa Province, are among the militant groups operating in Nigeria.
A current U.S. official confirmed the aircraft has been flying over Nigeria but declined to provide details given the diplomatic sensitivity of the issue.
A separate administration official said Washington was continuing to work with Nigeria to "address religious violence, anti-Christian attacks, and the destabilizing spread of terrorism."
The former U.S. official and the current administration officials all spoke on condition of anonymity.
In a statement, the Pentagon said the U.S. government held productive meetings with Nigeria following Trump's message about the country, but declined to discuss intelligence matters.
Nigeria's military spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment. Ghana's deputy defense minister also did not respond to a request for comment.
DAILY SURVEILLANCE FLIGHTS
Nigeria's government has said armed groups target both Muslims and Christians and that U.S. claims that Christians face persecution do not represent a complex security situation and ignore efforts to safeguard religious freedom. But it has agreed to work with the U.S. to bolster its forces against militant groups.
The country's population is split between Muslims living primarily in the north and Christians in the south.
A Nigerian security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. agreed in a November 20 meeting between Nigerian National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deploy air assets to gather intelligence. A spokesperson for the Nigerian military did not respond to requests for comment.
The Tenax Aerospace aircraft was seen on November 7 by flight tracking data at MacDill Air Force Base, which is home to the headquarters of the United States Special Operations Command in Tampa, Florida. It flew to Ghana on November 24, just days after the high-level meeting between U.S. and Nigerian security officials, according to flight tracking data.
The data shows the aircraft has flown over Nigeria almost daily since the start of the operation. The aircraft is a Gulfstream V, a long-range business jet often modified for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, according to the data.
SECURITY EMERGENCY IN NIGERIA
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu declared a security emergency last month and ordered the army and police to begin mass recruitment to tackle worsening armed violence across the country.
That move followed attacks in multiple Nigerian states where civilians were killed and kidnapped, and the mass abduction of more than 300 schoolchildren in northern Nigeria.
The U.S. meanwhile has taken steps to punish Nigeria for its perceived failure to protect Christians.
In October, Trump added Nigeria back onto a list of countries that the U.S. says have violated religious freedom. This week, Nigeria was added to the U.S. travel ban list of countries facing partial restrictions and entry limitations.
Trump has also asked the Defense Department to prepare for possible "fast" military action in Nigeria if the West African nation fails to crack down on the killing of Christians.
The U.S. and Nigeria have established a joint task force to work on security, according to Republican U.S. Representative Riley Moore, who recently traveled to the African country.
(Reporting by Jessica Donati and Idrees Ali; Additional reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe in Lagos; Editing by Don Durfee and Paul Simao)
