Officials claim the drones are for surveillance only.
French military during conflict in Mali on Feb. 6. (Jerome Delay/AP)
Another country will become home to a U.S. drone base soon, President Obama announced. At least 100 troops have been deployed to Niger to set up a station for unarmed drones. According to defense officials, the drones will be used purely for surveillance. The announcement came in the form of a letter to Congress, defending the action as necessary to "facilitate intelligence sharing" with French forces in Mali as well as other regional associates. It will also help fight extremism without sending many ground forces, he wrote.
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