The United States military has resumed its operations in Niger, which include flying drones and other aircraft from airbases in the country.
This move comes after activities were halted for over a month due to a coup that took place in July.
General James Hecker, head of Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, stated that negotiations with Niger’s military leaders have resulted in the resumption of some intelligence and surveillance missions.
“For a while, we weren’t doing any missions on the bases; they pretty much closed down the airfields,” said General Hecker during a press conference at the annual Air and Space Forces Association convention.
“Through the diplomatic process, we are now doing, I wouldn’t say 100 percent of the missions that we were doing before, but we’re doing a large amount of missions that we were doing before.”
He added that the US is conducting both crewed and unmanned missions, with these flights resuming “within the last couple of weeks.”
Following the coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in Niger, approximately 1,100 US soldiers stationed in the West African country were confined to their military bases.
Some US forces were relocated from Air Base 101 near the capital Niamey to another base, Airport 201, in Agadez, according to the Pentagon. Agadez is situated about 920 kilometers (570 miles) northeast of Niamey.
The US military has designated Niger as a primary regional outpost for patrols using armed drones and other operations against insurgents and rebel groups that have seized territory in the region, resulting in civilian casualties and clashes with the armed forces.
