US military plans drone base near Mali
2013-01-29 10:14
Washington - The US military plans to set up a base for
drones in northwest Africa to bolster surveillance of al-Qaeda's affiliate in
the region as well as allied Islamist extremists, a US official told AFP on
Monday.
The base for the robotic, unmanned aircraft would likely be
located in Niger, on the eastern border of Mali, where French forces are
currently waging a campaign against al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim),
said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The base was first reported by the New York Times earlier on
Monday.
The airfield would allow for better intelligence gathering
by unarmed drones on the movement of Aqim and other militants, which Washington
considers a growing threat, the official said.
If the plan gets the green light, up to 300 US military
service members and contractors could be sent to the base to operate the drone
aircraft, according to the New York Times.
US Africa Command was also looking at an alternative
location for the base in Burkina Faso, the official said.
The United States and Niger signed a status of forces
agreement on Monday, which will provide legal safeguards for any American
forces in the country. The Pentagon secures such agreements for base
arrangements or troop deployments.
French intervention
The head of Africa command, General Carter Ham, was due to
visit Niamey on 11 January.
The French intervention in Mali, the recent hostage taking
at an Algerian natural gas plant and the deadly assault on a US consulate in
Libya in September has increased the demand in Washington for more intelligence
on militants in the region.
As news emerged of the planned drone base, the Wall Street
Journal reported that US military and intelligence officials were weighing
plans to provide French fighter aircraft with sophisticated data to help them
hunt down militants in Mali.
President Barack Obama's administration waited for more than
two weeks before agreeing to offer aerial refuelling tankers to the French
forces, amid concerns among some advisers that assisting the French could draw
the United States into an open-ended conflict.
The Obama administration has also provided transport planes
to help ferry French weapons and troops and to share intelligence with Paris
from surveillance aircraft, including reportedly unmanned Global Hawk spy
planes.
