Aerial view of the American drone base in Agadez, Niger, on June 4, 2017. Photo: Google Earth
USA Today: Why the U.S. military is building a drone base in Niger
On Oct. 4, 2017, nine soldiers were killed in a convoy leaving the village of Tongo Tongo in Niger.
Four of those soldiers were American.
The tragedy shocked Americans and Nigeriens alike — most people weren’t even aware that there were U.S. soldiers on the ground.
It turns out that U.S. Special Forces have been in the country since at least 2013. Their main charge is training Nigerien soldiers, but they’re also on the ground, stationed at the country’s borders and fighting groups like Boko Haram and al-Qaeda.
French, German, and Italian soldiers are also stationed in Niger, focused on human traffickers as hundreds of thousands of migrants make their way through Niger into Libya to attempt the crossing into Europe.
Despite political firestorms in Washington and Niamey, the capital of Niger, it looks like U.S. troops are planning to stay. They’re set to open a $110 million drone base in the city of Agadez later this year.
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WNU Editor: For more information on this new U.S. drone base in Niger, go here .... A Massive US Drone Base Could Destabilize Niger — and May Even Be Illegal Under Its Constitution (The Intercept). The Intercept did a follow-up article .... US Military Opened Secretive Drone Base to Visitors (After The Intercept Wrote About It) (The Intercept).
