Ivory Coast wants the Trump administration to station U.S. spy planes in the country’s north to carry out cross-border operations targeting Al Qaeda-allied jihadists wreaking havoc across the Sahel, according to two senior Ivorian security officials who told Reuters they expected a decision from Washington next year.

One of the Ivorian sources, a senior counterterrorism official, said Abidjan and Washington agreed on regional security needs, and timing was the only issue that remained to be determined.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment, while the Pentagon ‌said ‌it wasn’t currently planning operations in Ivory Coast. The State Department declined to comment, but said: "We will actively continue to pursue our counterterrorism objectives where there is a nexus to U.S

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