A senior U.S. administration official said on Monday that the country is holding discussions with North African countries about locating drones at a base there to heighten monitoring of Islamic State (IS) in Libya,
“Such a base near IS strongholds in Libya would help the U.S. fill gaps in our understanding of what is going on in that region,” a report quoted the official as saying.
The official said drone flights would give U.S. military and intelligence agencies real-time information on the militant group’s activities in Libya.
Fighters allied with IS commanders in Iraq and Syria have been gaining ground in Libya, where two rival governments are battling for control and militants have taken advantage of the security vacuum.
The report citing senior U.S. officials, said no North African country has agreed to offer access to a base.
It quoted officials as saying any such facility would likely be an existing base under the control of the host country, with the U.S. receiving permission to place drones there along with a limited number of military personnel, reports Reuters.
U.S. allies Egypt and Tunisia share borders with Libya.
However, administration officials declined to identify countries that could host U.S. drones.
U.S. military officials said that drones launched from the proposed base could also be used in air strikes against I.S. targets in Libya.
They said the base could also be a launching point for special missions against other militants operating in the region.
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