Washington ( CNN ) -- The United States has signed a deal with the central Africa nation of Niger that allows deployment of surveillance drones to keep tabs on Islamic militants in the region , officials from both countries said Tuesday . Niger is next door to Mali , where France joined the fight against Islamic rebels earlier this month . Pentagon spokesman George Little said the role of the U.S. military in Niger `` has not yet been defined '' -- but Niger 's ambassador to the United States , Maman Sidikou , told CNN that his government has agreed to let U.S. drones operate from its territory . Sidikou said his understanding of the agreement is the drones will be unarmed and used for surveillance to monitor extremist movements . He refused to discuss where in the country the drones would be based or when they will be operational . Niger lies to the east of Mali , where French troops and warplanes are fighting alongside government troops to push back Islamist fighters who seized much of the former French colony in 2012 . The rebels took advantage of the chaos that followed a revolt by Touareg separatists and a military coup , and banned music , smoking , drinking and watching televised sports in the territories under their control . Washington is backing its NATO ally by sharing intelligence , flying French troops to neighboring countries and refueling French jets . Mali is the home of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb , the North African offshoot of the terrorist movement . The group has been connected to the recent assault on the natural gas facility in Algiers and the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi , Libya , that killed U.S . Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans . Little said the group does not pose a direct threat to the U.S. homeland , but that could change . `` I 'm unaware of any specific or credible information at this time that points to an AQIM threat against the homeland , but , again , I 'm not ruling it out , '' he said . `` We take al Qaeda , wherever they are , very seriously . We are not going to rest on our laurels until we find that that kind of specific and credible information . '' A U.S. official said that intelligence-gathering in that part of Africa is a challenge . The United States has a drone base in Djibouti , at the southern tip of the Red Sea -- on the opposite side of the continent from Mali . `` Djibouti is a long way from Bamako , and there 's certainly a growing need for intelligence-gathering , '' the official said . While not confirming the reports about establishing a drone base , the official noted that if one was created , the operation would need infrastructure , security and support . CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr contributed to this report .
Niger says it 's willing to let U.S. drones operate from its territory . Niger is near Mali , where French troops joined the fight against Islamic State . U.S. intelligence says intelligence - gathering in that part of Africa is a challenge .