Via VOA News -
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 somewhere 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.
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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.
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