US to move drone base to northern niger

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A repositioning of the U.S drone force in Africa.

The US military will shift its drone flights in Niger from Niamey to a base further north. This will help to better track Islamist fighters in the region, a defense official said Tuesday.

Unmanned systems conference 2014 – Israel

The United States started drone surveillance flights out of Niger in early 2013 to support French forces fighting Islamist militants in northern Mali.

Washington original plans were to move the operation further north and now the details have been worked out to relocate the flights to a base in Agadez, about 850 kilometers from Niamey, said the US defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

According to a report in Defense News the northern location will give the unmanned, robotic aircraft easier access to a desert route linking southern Libya and northern Mali, which is used to move arms and Islamist fighters.

Plans to fly out of Agadez were first reported by the Washington Post on Tuesday.

Officials did not say how many aircraft, either unmanned or manned, would operate from the Agadez airfield.