By ADAM ENTOUS and SIOBHAN GORMAN

The U.S. signed an agreement Monday with the West African country of Niger that clears the way for a stepped-up American military presence on the edges of the conflict in neighboring Mali.

The U.S. and France are moving to create an intelligence hub in Niger that could include a base, near Mali's border, for American drones that could monitor al Qaeda-linked militants in Mali's vast desert north, U.S. officials said.

The Obama administration has agreed to provide air tankers to refuel French warplanes targeting rebels in Mali, sharply expanding the level of U.S. involvement in the campaign. WSJ Pentagon Correspondent Adam Entous reports. Photo: Getty Images.

The moves show the extent to which the U.S. and France are girding for what could be an open-ended campaign against the militants in North and West Africa.

U.S. and French officials said they see Niger as a logical hub for intelligence-collection operations nearby in Mali, where France has deployed warplanes and ground troops to drive Islamist militants from cities and towns they have held for months. War planners say small air strips in Niger could be used as launching pads for spy missions and strikes.

The signing of the so-called status-of-forces agreement with Niger was a necessary precursor for American military operations there, officials said. U.S. officials said discussions with Niger on a drone base were at an early stage.

The U.S. and Niger started negotiating the status of forces agreement last year to provide legal protections for American military personnel operating in the country. Talks took on added urgency after France launched its military mission in Mali on Jan. 11 against al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, and affiliated Islamist militants in northern Mali. The agreement is likely to be announced in Niamey, Niger's capital, on Tuesday, U.S. officials said.

The agreement signed Monday with Niger is meant to expand cooperation "to counter shared threats in the region," a U.S. defense official said.

U.S. officials said the agreement doesn't set out the precise number of American military personnel who would be based in Niger, nor does it prescribe what roles they will play. There are now fewer than 50 U.S. military personnel there.

U.S. operations in Niger to aid the French military campaign would represent a significant escalation by the U.S.

U.S. officials said new drone bases are needed near Mali to monitor militant activity because the U.S. doesn't have any in or near the new war zone.

People in a crowd shouted at suspected Islamist extremists in the back of an army truck in Gao Tuesday

Western war planners say small landing strips in Niger near the border with Mali are ideally located for missions using drones, manned surveillance aircraft and possibly U.S. special-operations units. That is because the airstrips in Niger are closer to militant havens in northern Mali than airstrips near Mali's capital, Bamako, in the south of the country.

The Obama administration has been wary of getting pulled into a new conflict in Mali, but hasn't ruled out the use of armed drones or special-operations units to help target al Qaeda militants—if intelligence agencies conclude that they are plotting attacks against the U.S. homeland, U.S. officials said.

The Wall Street Journal reported this month that the U.S. was ramping up intelligence collection efforts over Mali, and considering deploying unarmed drones and providing targeting information to the French. The New York Times reported on its website on Monday that the U.S. military command for Africa, known as Africom, was making preparations to establish a drone base in Niger or possibly another nearby country.

Africom declined to discuss any plans for deploying drones—which are sometimes called "ISR," in military parlance—to Niger. "We don't discuss specific planning efforts, and in particular, we do not discuss specifics related to ISR, and intelligence matters," said Col. Tom Davis, a spokesman for the command.

American military personnel in Niger would likely provide counterterrorism training to local forces and help the country with border security, in addition to helping gather intelligence on al Qaeda in Mali, officials said.

Other countries in the region are also seen by U.S. officials as possible hosts for drone bases.

U.S. and French officials are concerned about any spillover of the fighting into neighboring countries, including Algeria, which, at the urging of Paris, has moved forces to try to close its long desert border with Mali. French officials said the goal is to prevent fighters from crossing the border to escape advancing French and African forces.

U.S. officials said they want to step up cooperation with the government in Algiers to fight AQIM and associated militant groups, as Algeria is one of the few capable governments in North Africa that fervently oppose Islamist militants. Current and former officials said the Central Intelligence Agency or the U.S. military may be able to reach a deal in which Algeria provides a drone base in exchange for equipment and training.

The Algerians have been fighting Islamist militant groups since the 1990s, when they stepped up their effort to counter extremists with the help of the CIA. The agency forged a good relationship with its counterparts there and Algeria was able to tamp down the threat considerably.

The Pentagon has small numbers of personnel and equipment scattered across Africa. The largest concentration is at Camp Lemonnier, a French-U.S. base in Djibouti, used to launch drone strikes in Yemen. The base is the headquarters for a task force of 2,000 Americans.

In addition to the U.S. personnel now in Niger, about 100 were sent to the region last year to help in the hunt for the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel militia in central Africa. Africom is based in Germany, and has personnel on the continent at regional African organizations, such as the African Union.

The agreement with Niger, "would provide a U.S. foothold, a launching pad, in the region to try to stem the threat of Islamic extremism in the region," said Seth Jones, a former Pentagon adviser and an al Qaeda specialist at the Rand Corp.

He said U.S. officials have a "very serious concern" that even if the French succeed in Mali, the Islamic extremist threat will continue to spread in the region in countries such as Mauritania, Nigeria and Niger.

After a two-week legal and policy review, the White House agreed to provide three air tankers to refuel French warplanes over Mali. The U.S. also is providing cargo planes to transport French troops and equipment.

The U.S. military has forged a relationship with its counterparts in Niger for a decade, dating to the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mr. Jones said.

The Niger military staged a coup in 2010 after then-President Mamadou Tandja attempted to extend his term. The military junta scheduled a presidential election for 2011, returning power to civilian authorities and clearing the way for stepped-up U.S. military support.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323644904578270374130708196.html

Goodnews. Let those s.tupid jihadists make noise under any guise

welcome development

oya where are those BH?

They want to surrender so quick?

Thanks to our jihadists
Welcome to Nigeristan abi nigeriabad

The beginning of the end of africa!

US would be sure to prop up all the corrupt governments in Africa.

[img]http://theobamacrat.files./2012/06/03_drone3.jpg?w=468&h=351[/img]

We would see how this one would play out. They are bringing the war to Africans. Africans would be forced to wake the Bleep up. And Niger backstabbing us Nigerians, by allowing devils to flood their country. I hope they enjoy the American occupation.

If the purpose of the drone program in Niger is not abused then it is a gud one from america(orthough they do take things to the extreme). All those niger-ians dat sneak in to perpetrate evil in Nigeria will now find their levels. I must also say,these drones will be use to monitor all oda activities in the west africa subregion

It is unfortunate,but Africans seem not capable of ruling themselves and the islamists can easily overrun Africa like Somalia,which means double doom.

Anything but fundamental and compulsory Islam.

operation Africom, achieved.

This is just ridiculous, as much as I like the U.S., but her involvement in African matters is excessive. For those who think the drone knows any boundary, please wake up. When they're done in Mali, it's for sure, NEXT FOCUS- Nigeria. Given the fact that Islamist leaders are heading for Nigeria, Nigeria may be the new Afghanistan...

So Nigeria's invasion is only a matter of time? Sad.

.k

There is no cause for alarm, pellow kwantiri-man, for the drones are only going to Africa to facilitate the endeavors of all those scraggly bearded Jihadists whose entire existence is all about Paradise tourism, and hooking up with their allocated 72 heavenly virgins. The drones will see to it that no Jihadist is kept away from his virgins for one second longer than is necessary, so please, enemies of frogress, stop fretting and whimpering. This is a good development.

Long overdue, welcome to Africa ghetto birds, those of u that are saying this is a bad news, i want to remind you that US have one of their largest military base in Germany and yet the country is progressing, they have military bases in the following countries Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Japan, yet all these countries are flourishing and the same time living in peace.

Nigeria should vehemently oppose such useless agreement through the ECOWAS.
There should be no US base anywhere in w.africa.
Niger should be thrown out of Ecowas,if they allow such 'agreement' to hold.

USarmy: Long overdue, welcome to Africa ghetto birds, those of u that are saying this is a bad news, i want to remind you that US have one of their largest military base in Germany and yet the country is progressing, they have military bases in the following countries Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Japan, yet all these countries are flourishing and the same time living in peace.

why must they set up military base in foreign countries?
Can they allow such in america?
They should stay in their damn country.
Who the hell do americans think they are?

they want to use backyard to infiltrate our country o!

If drones are meant for Nigeria, then please oooooo, we are no longer interested in Nigerian.
WE prefer Biafra!!!

,.

[size=18pt]US considering new drone base in Africa[/size]

Published: 29 January, 2013, 05:10


The US is planning to consolidate its position in Africa with a new drone outpost in Niger, with the stated purpose of providing unarmed surveillance support to French efforts in Mali and keeping tabs on al-Qaeda elements on the continent.
The robotic unmanned aircraft would likely be based in Niger, on the eastern border of Mali, where French forces are currently waging a campaign against Al-Qaeda, AFP reported, quoting an anonymous official.
If the plan is approved, up to 300 US military servicemembers and contractors could be sent to the base to operate the drone aircraft, the New York Times reported. US Africa Command is also considering another location as an alternative to the base in Burkina Faso, the official said.
However, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland reiterated that there are no plans to commit US troops to any fighting on the ground.
In the future, the US command does not rule out using the base to conduct military strikes if the situation deteriorates or the extremist threat increases, military officials told The New York Times.
In the meantime, the US military's Africa Command is reviewing the options for the base with other countries in the region, including Burkina Faso.
The Africa Command’s scheme still needs the go-ahead from the Department of Defense, President Barack Obama and Niger. No final decision had been made, but a status-of-forces agreement has been reached between the two governments in Niger on Monday, providing legal protection to American troops in the African country.
"Niger has given the green light to accepting American surveillance drones on its soil to improve the collection of intelligence on Islamist movements," Reuters quoted its source who asked not to be identified.
If the drone base plan goes through, the facility could become home to as many as 300 American military and contractual personnel.
The United States so far has only one permanent base in Africa, in Djibouti. The drone base there is widely used for missions in nearby Yemen and allows access to Somalian and Sudanese airspace. A base in Niger would drastically shorten the response time to developing situations in the region.
The ongoing discussions about the installation follow the French military intervention in Mali and the Algerian hostage crisis, which left at least 37 foreigners dead and highlighted the threat from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
On Wednesday, outgoing US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised not to let northern Mali become a “safe haven” for extremists in the region as al-Qaeda-affiliated insurgents have become a “a very serious, ongoing threat.”
Last week, Washington sent approximately 100 military trainers to nations that are prepared to, or have already deployed, troops to Mali – including Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Togo and Ghana

https://rt.com/news/us-drone-base-africa-945/

its all over for nigeria

supplement .....


Mali and AFRICOM’s Africa Agenda: Target China
February 1, 2013

http://www.blacklistednews.com/Mali_and_AFRICOM%E2%80%99s_Africa_Agenda%3A_Target_China/23979/0/0/0/Y/M.html



John Pilger: "Islamic terrorism" is the invented excuse for theft of Africa's riches

31 January 2013
John Pilger

http://stopwar.org.uk/index.php/middle-east-and-north-africa/2212--john-pilger-how-the-west-is-consigning-africas-history-of-liberation-to-oblivion

It will be all over for the Drone war criminals. The Civilized World have a Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission (KLWCC), also known as the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal in Malaysia . Any-time you try to invade or attack all is recorded. The day is coming for the criminals to be arrested for all crimes dating back to Vietnam including up to the present day the crimes are committed.


Links :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpur_War_Crimes_Commission

We should expect a more sophisticated and better armed Boko Haram insurgents attacking from the North.
We should look forward to a more Organised Boko Haram working with better and accurate intel and developing the capabilities to recon, case out and attack the Southern region.
We should expect a new breed of Boko Haram that has extensive network of safe houses and arms vault all over the nation especially in the souther and eastern regions, making it easier for them to travel and evade security since they don't have to carry their arms with them, easy to disappear after any major terrorist attack since the support systems are already there.
Infact Nigerians should expect hell.

Am happy to see dis...atleast they can penetrate 9ja easily...up u.s.a

thoth: We should expect a more sophisticated and better armed Boko Haram insurgents attacking from the North.
We should look forward to a more Organised Boko Haram working with better and accurate intel and developing the capabilities to recon, case out and attack the Southern region.
We should expect a new breed of Boko Haram that has extensive network of safe houses and arms vault all over the nation especially in the souther and eastern regions, making it easier for them to travel and evade security since they don't have to carry their arms with them, easy to disappear after any major terrorist attack since the support systems are already there.
Infact Nigerians should expect hell.

+1

The more the sophistication of Military in Africa the more the insurgents(sophistication)........it all feels like conspiracy....Global Conspiracy!!!

Johnathan should spend more on military and protest the presence of America in Niger. CHUKWU owns ALAIGBO. As long as ALAIGBO is part of Nigeria. Devils are not welcome in Nigeria. There are a lot of spies in Nigeria too. CHUKWU help us all, as we prepare for Armageddon.