The
United States is reported to be expanding a secret drone program in east Africa
and the Arabian peninsula in order to gather intelligence and strike
al-Qaida-linked militants in Somalia and Yemen.
Citing
U.S. defense officials, The Washington Post reported that the U.S. is building
a new military installation to host the unmanned aircraft in Ethiopia, where
drones can more easily attack members of the militant group al-Shabab that is
fighting for control of neighboring Somalia.
The
report also said the U.S. has re-opened a drone base in the Seychelles, an
island nation in the Indian Ocean, where a small fleet of
"hunter-killer" drones resumed operations this month after a test
mission determined that aircraft based there could patrol Somalia.
In
addition, the report said the Central Intelligence Agency is building a secret
airstrip somehwere in the Arabian subcontinent in order to carry out drone
missions against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. U.S. officials say the
group, based in Yemen, is al-Qaida's most active branch, and is responsible for
several attempted attacks on U.S. targets.
The
U.S. is reported to have already flown drones over Somalia and Yemen from
installations in Djibouti.
The
U.S. military is also believed to have used the unmanned drone aircraft to
carry out missions in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Libya.
U.S.
officials previously acknowledged the existence of the drone base in
Seychelles, but said the aircraft were surveillance drones that were primarily
being used to track pirates in the region. But the Wall Street Journal reports
that the base will now house MQ-9 Reaper drones that can be outfitted for both
reconnaissance and strike missions.
Officials
at the White House did not comment on the report.
Earlier
this month, the commander of U.S. military operations in Africa said three
African-based terrorist groups were working together to threaten U.S. interests
in the region. General Carter Ham said al-Shabab, Algeria-based Al-Qaida in the
Islamic Maghreb, and Boko Haram in Nigeria have said they intend to share
training and operations in order to target Westerners, specifically Americans.
---VOA News
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