Niger has given the U.S. permission to station surveillance drones in the country to gather information on the al-Qaeda-linked fighters currently controlling northern Mali, Reuters reported Tuesday morning:
The U.S. ambassador to Niger, Bisa Williams, made the request at a meeting on Monday with President Mahamadou Issoufou, who immediately accepted it, the source said.
“Niger has given the green light to accepting American surveillance drones on its soil to improve the collection of intelligence on Islamist movements,” said the source, who asked not to be identified.
