A senior US official has said that the Obama administration is “mulling” over drone strikes in the West African country of Mali, in order to support French military activity against so called “Al Qaeda” operatives.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that a senior defense advisor for the U.S. African Command (AFRICOM) has been touting the possibility of drone strikes, calling them “the least bad option”.

“U.S. counterterrorism officials appear increasingly open to air strikes against insurgents in northern Mali, according to J. Peter Pham, director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center in Washington.” the report stated.

“Drone strikes or air strikes will not restore Mali’s territorial integrity or defeat the Islamists, but they may be the least bad option,” said Mr. Pham, a senior strategy adviser to the U.S. military’s Africa Command.