U.S. considering drones in North Africa to monitor ISIS

July 13, 2015 6:06 AM

The newspaper said drone flights would give U.S. military and intelligence agencies real-time information on the militant group's activities in Libya.

An X-47B pilot-less drone combat aircraft flies over the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, July 10, 2013. REUTERS/Rich-Joseph Facun

The United States is holding discussions with countries in North Africa about locating drones at a base there to heighten monitoring of Islamic State in Libya, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing a senior administration official.

Such a base near Islamic State strongholds in Libya would help the United States “fill gaps in our understanding of what’s going on” in that region, the official was quoted as saying.

Fighters allied with Islamic State 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 Journal, citing senior U.S. officials, said no North African country had yet 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 United States receiving permission to place drones there along with a limited number of military personnel.

U.S. allies Egypt and Tunisia share borders with Libya. But the Journal reported administration officials declined to identify countries that could host U.S. drones.

U.S. military officials told the paper that drones launched from the proposed base could also be used in air strikes against Islamic State targets in Libya and that the base could be a launching point for special operations missions against militants.