In furtherance of the onslaught aimed at crushing the Boko Haram sect in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, the United States Government has positioned drones stationed in Niamey, Niger Republic.
The Predator drones which also monitor neighbouring Chad and Cameroon are unarmed and could be equipped with Hellfire missiles if the need arises.
The military on the orders of the President, Goodluck Jonathan had deployed thousands of troops to the troubled states after the imposition of a state of emergency on Tuesday May 14, 2013.
Sources say the hardware, supported by USG, was in line with its determination to get rid of extremist in West and North Africa.
President Barack Obama had earlier in the year, announced that 100 American troops were being sent to the drone base in the Nigerien capital.
The drones had been deployed against Islamist extremists in Mali but may have now been extended to cover Niger’s border with Nigeria.
President of Niger, Issoufou Mahamadou had in January appealed for western assistance in curbing the activities of terrorists operating within the region.
“Our countries are like the blind leading the blind. We rely on countries like France and the United States. We need co-operation to ensure our security,” he said.
Reacting to the report, Director of Information, Defense Headquarters, Brig-Gen. Chris Olukolade, said as at present, there was no collaboration with the USG on the ongoing offensive.
“This is solely a Nigerian planned operation and we are doing it our own way. This operation is our own and we are doing it in line with best practices. It is Nigerian designed and executed,” he maintained.
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