WASHINGTON, US
United States of America’s Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday ordered an Army review of an investigation into a January 2020 militant assault on the Manda Bay military base in Kenya that killed three Americans and wounded three others.
In a written statement announcing Austin’s
decision, his press secretary, John Kirby, did not pinpoint what Austin found
lacking in the initial investigation, which was conducted by U.S. Africa
Command.
By apparent coincidence, Austin plans to meet
with Africa Command officials Tuesday in Stuttgart as part of a broader tour of
Europe to consult with allies and talk to U.S. commanders. He will also meet
separately with officials at U.S. European Command, also in Stuttgart.
“An independent review will provide added
insight, perspective, and the ability to assess the totality of this tragic
event involving multiple military services and Department of Defence
components,” Kirby said.
Kirby said that after considering the results
of Africa Command’s investigation, which have not been released publicly,
Austin decided to order the Army to pick a four-star general to conduct the
review. The Army chose General Paul Funk, commander of Army Training and
Doctrine Command. Funk is an experienced combat veteran who served six
deployments in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“It is the secretary’s desire to ensure there
is a full examination and consideration of the contributing factors that led to
this tragic event and that appropriate action is taken to reduce the risk of
future occurrence,” Kirby said. “The families impacted deserve nothing less.”
The attack by al-Shabab militants at the
Manda Bay base destroyed six aircraft in addition to killing three Americans
and wounding three others.
The base, in the Kenyan seaside resort, was
overrun by 30 to 40 of the al-Qaida-linked insurgents on January 5, 2020,
marking al-Shabab’s first attack against U.S. forces in the East African
country.
The base at Manda Bay has been used for years
by the U.S. military, but it only became a full-time airfield in 2016, with
increased personnel, aircraft and operations.
The initial phase of the assault came near
dawn, when 20 to 30 al-Shabab militants slipped through the forest and fired
rocket-propelled grenades onto the airfield at the base. The opening rounds of
grenades quickly killed a soldier in a truck, wounded another, and killed two
contractors in an aircraft and wounded one other. About a mile down the road,
other militants fired on Camp Simba, a section of the base where U.S. forces
are stationed.
Marines from Camp Simba initially responded
to the attack site and begin to fight back against the militants, who had made
it onto the airfield and into buildings. But it took all day for Kenyan and
U.S. security forces to finally quash the attack, search the airfield and
secure the area.
Air Force Colonel Chris Karns, spokesperson
for U.S. Africa Command, said a “great deal of rigor” was put into the
investigation, resulting in a number of immediate improvements. He said the
goal has been to reassure the families and the American public “that we did
everything possible to understand the situation and take appropriate action.”
The investigation team made “findings and
recommendations that fall outside U.S. Africa Command purview and ability to
effect; therefore, we fully support the additional independent review directed
by the secretary of defence,” Karns said. “We are confident in the report’s
findings and remain committed to ensuring fixes and improvements in Kenya and
across the continent.”
Kenya has been a key base for fighting
al-Shabab, which is based in Somalia and is one of the world’s most resilient
extremist organizations. Al-Shabab has launched a number of attacks inside
Kenya, including against civilian targets on buses, at schools and at shopping
malls.
Al-Shabab had been the target of a growing
number of U.S. airstrikes inside Somalia during President Donald Trump’s administration.
But Trump late last year ordered the withdrawal of the roughly 700 American
forces there, and the bulk of those troops were pulled out of the country by
mid-January. According to officials, there are fewer than 100 U.S. troops in
Somalia now.
Austin has launched a review of America’s
military posture around the world.
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