The United States military says it is building a $100 million temporary base for surveillance drones in central Niger to help the West African country fight militant groups and protect its borders.
A spokesman for U.S. African Command confirmed on September 30 that the drone base was being built in the town of Agadez in central Niger at the request of Niger’s government.
The country has been trying to halt incursions by Islamic militants from the Boko Haram extremist group, who have been crossing Niger's southern border with Nigeria.
At the same time, it has been fighting against roaming Al-Qaeda-linked groups in its vast desert spaces to the north --which border Libya, Chad, Algeria, and Mali.
