Mali Islamists' war reveals paucity of west's intelligence on Sahel and Sahara but Pentagon's move could backfire, analysts warn
Paul Harris in New York and Afua Hirsch in Accra
The Guardian
Tuesday 29 January 2013
The US government appears close to opening a new front in its fight
against Islamist militants by planning a new base for surveillance drones in the west African country of Niger.
American forces are already assisting a French offensive in neighbouring Mali
that is aimed at recapturing the country's northern desert territory
from the hands of Islamist rebels. On Monday the US signed a military
agreement with Niger that paves the way legally for US forces to operate
on its soil, prompting a series of reports that the Pentagon was keen
on opening a new drones base there.
That news appeared to be
confirmed by Niger government sources, who said the US ambassador in
Niamey, Bisa Williams, had asked Niger's president, Mahamadou Issoufou,
for permission to use surveillance drones and had been granted it.
"Niger
has given the green light to accepting American surveillance drones on
its soil to improve the collection of intelligence on Islamist
movements," a Niger government source told Reuters.
In Washington a
diplomatic source told the Guardian that the recently signed deal,
known as a "status of forces" agreement, was very broad. "There are no
constraints to military-to-military co-operation within the agreement,"
the source said.
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