Caribbean News Now!

HAVANA, Cuba (ACN) -- The US Department of Homeland Security has announced the setting up of a drone squadron for surveillance activity over the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, ostensibly for the purpose of fighting drug trafficking.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has already approved the air routes for the spy drones, known worldwide for their raids over Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, as part of US military activities in those nations, PL news agency reported.

According to the FAA plan, a 2,000-kilometer area will be covered by the drones, which includes The Bahamas, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands.

The first drone base for Caribbean operations will be located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and a second facility will be set up in Cocoa Beach, Florida, according to sources with the US Defense Department.

The drones picked for Caribbean surveillance operations include the Predator-B, currently being used by the CIA in Afghanistan and Yemen for locating Al-Qaida groups and other Islamic extremists.

Over the past five years, Washington has maintained surveillance operations over the Caribbean with Global Hawk spy aircraft.

The US intelligence air operations have been carried out over the years, first by U-2 planes and later by SR-71 aircraft.

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