quand meme...U.S. has secretly expanded its global network of drone bases to North Africa
By Adam Entous and Missy Ryan October 26 at 1:09 PM
The Pentagon has secretly expanded its global network of drone bases to North Africa, deploying unmanned aircraft and U.S. military personnel to a facility in Tunisia to conduct spy missions in neighboring Libya. The Air Force Reaper drones began flying out of the Tunisian base in late June and have played a key role in an extended U.S. air offensive against an Islamic State stronghold in neighboring Libya.
The Obama administration pressed for access to the Tunisian base as part of a security strategy for the broader Middle East that calls for placing drones and small Special Operations teams at a number of facilities within striking distance of militants who could pose a threat to the West.
U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an operation that has not been acknowledged, said the drones being flown out of Tunisia were unarmed and were principally being used to collect intelligence on Islamic State targets in Sirte, Libya, where the United States has conducted more than 300 airstrikes since August.
Pourtant ils peuvent voler a partir de l'ile de Malte.U.S. officials said they sought access to the air base in Tunisia to close a critical “blind spot” for U.S. and Western intelligence services in North Africa, which has become the Islamic State’s largest base of operations outside of Syria and Iraq. The region is also home to al-Qaeda-linked fighters.
En theorie, leur plus grand "blind" spot serait tout le Sud Algérien et la partie frontalière avec la Tunisie. Il semblerait que les renseignements soient partagés.
Je parie qu'ils sont armés.Obama administration officials say they have tried to shore up Tunisia’s fledgling democracy and position the country as a key counterterrorism partner in the region. Although the drones operating out of Tunisia conduct only surveillance missions, U.S. officials said they could be armed in the future if Tunisia gives the United States permission. The Tunisian Embassy in Washington declined to comment.
hmm...was the Ben Guerdane attack staged to convince the naysayersFor lethal strikes in Libya, the U.S. military has relied on manned U.S. aircraft based in Europe and armed drones flown out of Naval Air Station Sigonella on the Italian island of Sicily. Sigonella is relatively close to Sirte, but flights from the base are routinely canceled because of cloud cover over the Mediterranean and other weather-related issues, officials said.
U.S. logistical concerns about using Sigonella and other bases in Europe for operations in North Africa prompted the Pentagon’s push for a facility on Tunisian soil. The Obama administration has kept its negotiations over access to the base secret for more than a year because of concerns that Tunisia’s young democracy, worried about being closely associated with an outside military power, would pull out of the talks, or that militants would step up attacks in the North African country.
The Islamic State has already claimed a number of attacks in Tunisia over the past two years, including the killing of dozens of foreign tourists at a beach resort in 2015. Defense officials said the Pentagon has deployed about 70 military personnel to Tunisia to oversee drone operations there. Tunisia was the Obama administration’s first choice of countries in North Africa to host U.S. drones because of its proximity to Libya and Washington’s interest in rapidly expanding security ties with the government.
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U.S. military officials in Washington and Stuttgart, Germany, where Africa Command is based, grew increasingly eager to strike a deal with Tunisia this past spring. Opening a drone base there would help clear the way for the long-awaited Sirte operation, they said.
A brazen attack in March on a town near the Libyan border provided proof for some Tunisian officials of why more U.S. help might be required. Under the memorandum of understanding giving the Pentagon access to the base, the Americans committed to helping build up Tunisia’s intelligence-collection capabilities.
le reste ici:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... story.html