U.S. secret expansion of UAV global network has been extended to North Africa

U.S. media reported on the 26th that the U.S. Department of Defense is secretly expanding its global network of drone bases and has now extended its reach to North Africa.

A number of U.S. officials disclosed the progress to the Washington Post, stating that U.S. drones had been deployed at a military base in Tunisia to cross-border activities of the extremist group "Islamic State" in Libya.

Tunisia: Cross-border Reconnaissance

Several U.S. officials who did not want to be named openly stated that the U.S. deployed multiple "Death" drones in Tunisia and dispatched 70 U.S. personnel to take charge of drone operations. From late June, these drones have undertaken the mission of cross-border investigations of the activities of the “Islamic State” in Libya.

Since August, the U.S. military has carried out more than 300 air raids against the "Islamic State" target in Libya. According to these informed sources, these newly deployed U.S. drones are not equipped with weapons and are mainly used for intelligence gathering in the eastern Libya city of Sirte.

As for Libya’s air strikes, the U.S. military relied mainly on conventional fighter aircraft deployed at European military bases and armed drones deployed at Signerella Air Force Base in Sicily, Italy.

Prior to this, the United States deployed conventional reconnaissance planes in Tunisia to provide intelligence support for the Tunisian army. It was on this basis that the United States then negotiated with Tunisia to send additional unmanned reconnaissance planes. The U.S. side believes that the deployment of drones in Tunisia will help “save the way” for the military operations in Sirte.

U.S. officials revealed that if the Tunisian authorities agree, these drones may be equipped with weapons in the future.

[North Africa: The key "blind spot"]

U.S. officials revealed that the Obama administration’s secret search for drone deployments in Tunisia is mainly to make up for a key “blind spot” in US and Western intelligence networks, namely North Africa.

At the moment, North Africa is the largest operational base for the “Islamic State” outside Syria and Iraq, and it is also a place where many Al-Qaida-related armed groups are involved.

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