Travel for personnel of the United States (US) army have been restricted to Ghana and four other countries in the West Africa sub-region.
An order issued by the Pentagon on Wednesday limits unofficial travel by U.S. military personnel to Senegal, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Ghana.
According to Reuters, U.S defense officials cited recent militant attacks in the region as the reason for the restriction.
“It’s just increased vigilance given the recent events that have happened in that area of the world,” said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Falvo, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command.
19 people were killed by gunmen at a beachside resort in Ivory Coast.
North Africa’s al Qaeda’s branch, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The same group claimed responsibility for the January attack on a hotel and restaurant in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, that killed 29 people as well as a November hotel siege in Mali.
U.S. Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said the order remains in effect until June 30, and does not restrict official travel to the countries involved.
“Given the recent attacks in western Africa, we felt it prudent to make this decision at this time in an effort to ensure the safety of our personnel,” Baldanza said.
U.S. Africa Command has between 1,000 and 1,200 forces on the continent at any one time, mostly in training and support roles to help local security forces combat militants.
By: citifmonline.com/Ghana with files from Reuters