U.S. Expands Drone Flights to Take Aim at East Africa..“In a related story U.S. drone targets two leaders of Somali group allied with al-Qaeda, official says

U.S. drone targets two leaders of Somali group allied with al-Qaeda, official says


(The Wall Street Journal) - The US military is deploying a new force of armed drones to eastern Africa in an escalation of its campaign to strike militant targets in the region and expand intelligence on extremists, according to officials cited in The Wall Street Journal's Wednesday edition.The military has reopened a base for the unmanned aircraft on the island nation of Seychelles to intensify attacks on al Qaeda affiliates, particularly in Somalia, defense officials told the newspaper.The US has previously used the Seychelles base for flying surveillance drones, and for the first time will fly armed MQ-9 Reapers from the Indian Ocean site, supplementing strikes from a US drone base in Djibouti.The move comes as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and other officials have stressed a need to urgently follow up on the killing of al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden in May with operations to destroy his terrorist organization. US officials are concerned that al Qaeda -- under pressure from US operations in Pakistan, also involving drones -- is moving to expand operations through its affiliates in East Africa, and that a new charismatic militant leader could emerge there.The US military has long operated a base in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa, and has already used drones against militants in Somalia.The new Seychelles base, with the Reaper deployment, will allow for more flights and improved operational security, giving the military a better chance at uncovering and destroying al Qaeda training camps in East Africa, officials said. Militants can sometimes spot and track drones that fly over land from the base at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti -- something that will be more difficult at an island base.The Seychelles' capital, Victoria, is about 920 miles (1,480km) east of the southern tip Somalia, and about 650 miles (1,050km) northeast of Madagascar. The new base will help increase surveillance of pirates operating in the waters off Somalia. A senior defense official said the US has not yet used the Reapers deployed in the Seychelles to conduct armed reconnaissance on pirate ships, but the option is open to use the drones to strike at pirates who have mounted attacks.Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, the prime minister of Somalia, said he did not object to US-run drones targeting members of al Shabaab, an Islamic militant group with links to al Qaeda, inside Somalia. But he said he expects to be consulted and have such operations coordinated with his government."One less Shabaab is better for Somalia," said the prime minister, who was appointed in June, in an interview in New York where he was attending the United Nations annual meetings. "We have the same goal and that is to eliminate this extremist threat, first in Somalia and then the rest of the world."He said he would object, however, to the drones killing Somali pirates. "That's a different issue," he said. "These are just disillusioned youths who need an alternative livelihood."Ronald Jumeau, the Seychelles ambassador to the US, said in an interview that his country welcomes the presence of the Reapers. "For the US to base such military material in our country, it shows trust on the side of the United States," he said.Source: The Wall Street Journal