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Embassy official: US shuts down drone operation in Ethiopia Embassy official: US shuts down drone operation in Ethiopia
(about 14 hours later)
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — A United States official says his government has shut down its drone operation base in southern Ethiopia. ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — The U.S. government has shut down its drone operation base in southern Ethiopia, an embassy official announced.
U.S. Embassy Spokesman in Ethiopia David Kennedy told The Associated Press by email that a decision has been reached that the facilities in Arba Minch, 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of Addis Ababa, are no longer necessary. A decision has been reached that the base in Arba Minch, 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of Addis Ababa, is no longer necessary, embassy spokesman David Kennedy told The Associated Press by email.
Ethiopian media reported about the base when it was set up in 2011 but the U.S. has never publicly confirmed the existence of the base. A security expert in Addis Ababa said the base was used to attack Islamic extremists in Somalia. “U.S. military personnel are no longer in Arba Minch,” Kennedy said. “In our ongoing bilateral discussions on defense cooperation, we reached a mutual decision that our presence in Arba Minch is not required at this time.”
Ethiopia is a staunch U.S. ally in East Africa and has sent hundreds of troops to Somalia to counter the Islamic extremist rebel group, al-Shabab. Ethiopian media reported about the base when it was set up in 2011 but the U.S. has never publicly confirmed its existence. A security expert in Addis Ababa, who insisted on anonymity for fear of Ethiopian government reprisal, said the base was used to attack Islamic extremists in Somalia.
Ethiopia is a staunch U.S. ally in East Africa and has sent hundreds of troops to Somalia to counter the Islamic extremist rebel group. Although Ethiopia has a history of human rights, it is also a key U.S. ally in the fight against al-Qaida and other Islamic extremists in the Horn of Africa.
Ethiopia had troops in Somalia between 2006 and 2009 to defeat extremists. Ethiopia redeployed its troops to Somalia in 2011 to combat al-Shabab. Al-Shabab, al-Qaida’s East African affiliate, is fighting the internationally-backed Somali government. The rebels were pushed out of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, in 2011 with the help of African Union troops. But al-Shabab still carries out numerous guerrilla attacks in Somalia and the countries contributing A.U. troops, including Kenya, Djibouti and Uganda.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.