Niger okays armed flights of US drones
The Pentagon has received permission from the government of Niger to begin flying armed drones from the capital, Niamey, a US official said Friday.
The arrangement, which has not been publicly announced, reflects an expanding US military campaign against extremists in Africa and is based on a recently signed US-Nigerien memorandum of understanding. It was first reported by the New York Times.
The US official said armed drone flights could begin as early as next week or at least by the end of December. The memorandum of understanding limits the drones to defensive missions, the official said. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and so spoke on condition of anonymity.
