US sets new drones base in the Ethiopia
Adow Mohamed, AfricaNews reporter in Nairobi, Kenya
The United States is creating a base in Ethiopia to coordinate and fly drones over the Horn of Africa countries especially Somalia. The drones known as MQ-9 Reaper based in Seychelles can supplement air strikes on targets inside the war torn Somalia. The US military has a base in Djibouti which existed for years now.
According to the Washington Post the Pentagon has also started flying armed drones from a base in the Seychelles to Somalia.
The United States has in the past launched dangerous drone attacks in Somalia as well as in Libya, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Yemen.
The move to construct a drone base in Ethiopia is seen to increase the already-comprehensive military collaboration between Addis Ababa and Washington.
However, such strikes have often resulted in casualties, killing civilians and maiming many others including children and generated enormous hostility towards the US.
According to the Post, US officials have said, Ethiopia has in recent years proved as "a valued counterterrorism partner to deal with the threats posed by al-Shabaab."
It is not clear why Ethiopia rather than Kenya has become the prime US ally in the Horn of Africa in the Obama administration's escalating campaign in the fight against terror especially the al-Qaeda-linked elements in the horn.
The US has also declared its intention to supply drone aircrafts to Uganda and Burundi to help them the threat posed by the Islamist militants in Somalia.
Uganda and Burundi have sent about nine thousand troops to the African peace force in Somalia (AMISOM) battling Islamists that control much of the country.
The US sees Somalia as an al-Qaeda haven in East Africa. The al-Shabaab militia group, which is sympathetic to al-Qaeda, control large swathe of Somalia, including parts of the capital, Mogadishu. However, the group has of late abandoned significant areas in the capital due to what they claimed as a "tactical move" to fight the Transitional Federal Government (TFG).
Many believe that Somalia's fragile transitional government heavily relies on the African Union (AU) peacekeepers to thwart the constant threat posed by al-Shabaab.
The post says Ethiopian linguists are being sought after to translate
signals captured by US intelligence agencies that monitor communications
such as mobile phone calls and e-mail messages into and out of Somalia, a
move that is meant to tame the insurgents
.
"The CIA and other agencies also employ Ethiopian informants who gather
information from across the border," the Post reported.
The United States and Ethiopia have been discussing construction of a drone base inside Ethiopia for the past four years
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]---- Received on Fri Sep 23 2011 - 20:48:51 EDT
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