U.S. expands secret intelligence operations in Africa
1:09 am in african bush, bush pilots, Foreign Affairs, heat patterns, intelligence operations, jungle terrain, News Feed, private planes, secret intelligence, surveillance operations, terrorist hideouts, turboprop aircraft by PinkTeaPatriot
The U.S. military has established small air bases across Africa to spy on al-Qaeda affiliates and other militant groups. Shaded areas indicate the presence of those groups, according to U.S. Africa Command.
Source: WashingtonPost.com
By: Craig Whitlock
Posted: June 13th, 2012
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — The U.S. military is expanding its secret intelligence operations across Africa, establishing a network of small air bases to spy on terrorist hideouts from the fringes of the Sahara to jungle terrain along the equator, according to documents and people involved in the project.
At the heart of the surveillance operations are small, unarmed turboprop aircraft disguised as private planes. Equipped with hidden sensors that can record full-motion video, track infrared heat patterns, and vacuum up radio and cellphone signals, the planes refuel on isolated airstrips favored by African bush pilots, extending their effective flight range by thousands of miles.
Read More: WashingtonPost.com
