U.S. Building Drone Base in One of Africa's Poorest Countries

The U.S. military plans to build a drone base in the African desert, according to U.S. military documents that were obtained by The Intercept.

RELATED:
Journalist Sues CIA over Drone Attack

According to classified military documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, a $US100 million drone base is being constructed on the outskirts of Agadez, Niger, in southwestern Africa.

The base in the middle of the barren Sahara desert is part of redoubled efforts by the U.S. to increase counterterrorism operations in the region.

The documents say that the remote base will include a 1,830-meter runway to support cargo aircraft as well as the MQ-1 and MQ-9 Reaper drones. The MQ-9 is a newer, deadlier version of the MQ-1. According to the documents, Niger – one of the poorest countries on a poor continent – is the only country in the region that is willing to allow the new drones to be located there.

WATCH: Atomun – Drone Wars

Experts say that the U.S. has had military operations in Niger for a number of years and since 2013 has been flying drones out of the capital, Niamey.

The Obama administration has been heavily criticized for its use of unmanned drones in conflict zones around the world, where monitoring groups say that the officials are vastly underestimating drone death tolls, commonly missing designated targets and killing civilians in the process.

RELATED:
US Drone Spotted in Area of UN Aid Attack in Syria, Russia Says

The U.S. military and the CIA have frequently used drone strikes in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. In July, Obama said that as many as 116 civilians were inadvertently killed by U.S. drones.

The civilian death toll could be over 1,000, according to human rights organization Reprieve. At least 1,927 people have been killed in drone attacks in Pakistan alone since 2009, with at least 249 civilian deaths, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

The U.S., however, remains tight-lipped about its plans in Niger. “Due to operational security considerations, we don’t release details on numbers of personnel or specific missions or locations, including information regarding the Nigerian military air base located in Agadez,” said Lt. Col. Michelle L. Baldanza from the Pentagon to The Intercept.