Report: U.S. Expands Top Secret ‘Shadow War’ in Africa

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The Washington Post reports that the U.S. is using small aircraft, disguised as private planes, to engage in secret intelligence operations in Africa.

The top secret missions are part of a broader “growing shadow war against al-Qaida affiliates and other militant groups,” according to the report.

Using a former military commander as its source, the Post reports that about 12 spy bases have been set up for spy planes in Africa since 2007.

According to the report:

The surveillance is overseen by U.S. Special Operations forces but relies heavily on private military contractors and support from African troops.

The surveillance underscores how Special Operations forces, which have played an outsize role in the Obama administration’s national security strategy, are working clandestinely all over the globe, not just in war zones. The lightly equipped commando units train foreign security forces and perform aid missions, but they also include teams dedicated to tracking and killing terrorism suspects.

The U.S. Africa command declined to comment on the allegations.