Supporters of Pakistani religious group Jamaat-ud-Dawa protest against the U.S. drone strike in Pakistani territory which killed Taliban leader Mullah Mansour, Friday, May 27, 2016 in Lahore, Pakistan. Picture by K.M. Chaudary AP/Press Association Images. All rights reserved. Despite the large criticism directed toward the unabated use of armed drones as a weapon of choice in the “global war against terror”, led by the United States, the recent revelations about the establishment of a US drone base in Tunisia show that their use is expanding.
This information comes after the announcement of the construction of a 100 million drone base in Agadez, in the centre of Niger, indicating an increase of counterterrorist drone operations in north-west Africa. Although governments in the region have publically claimed they are not hosting US bases, there remains little doubt that such bases do exist at least in Niger and Tunisia, signalling an unconstrained and dangerous expansion.
US strikes have been carried out since August 2016 in Sirte, the stronghold of ISIS in Libya, in support of local ground armed forces affiliated with the UN backed government. However, given the numerous issues posed by the use of drones in the “global war against terror”, expanding drone bases might create more problems than it could solve.
