Satellite imagery reveals secret US drone base in Africa
Satellite imagery has revealed the
secret expansion of a US drone base in the African country of Djibouti,
according to a new report.
Satellite images available on the online mapping service, Google Earth,
along with US Defense Department documents show that the Pentagon has
turned Chabelley Airfield in Djibouti into a hive of high-tech military
equipment, the Intercept reported on Thursday.
along with US Defense Department documents show that the Pentagon has
turned Chabelley Airfield in Djibouti into a hive of high-tech military
equipment, the Intercept reported on Thursday.
The airport is an isolated airstrip located some 6 miles (9.5km) to the southwest of Djibouti City, the capital of the country.
In satellite images from several years ago, the airport resembles a strip of tarmac in the middle of a vast desert.
Today, however, the pictures reveal what seems to be a collection of
clamshell hangars, satellite dishes, and unmanned planes that the US has
deployed there as part of its secret expansion plan.
One document by the Pentagon which dates back to June, shows that US
military officials have asked the US House of Representatives for the
appropriation of a $7.6 million funding in order to “construct perimeter
boundary” at the site.
This is while the US military has always remained tight-lipped about
Chabelley, refusing to mention it on its public list of overseas bases
and evading questions about its existence.
