US planning anti-terror base

The US is planning to set up an anti-terrorist headquarters in the Horn of Africa, the US embassy in Addis Ababa has confirmed. Some 400 troops are to be sent in to Djibouti to set up the HQ. The Horn of Africa has increasingly become a focus in the American global war on terror and its hunt for suspected al-Qaeda members and their sympathisers. At present there are some 800 US army and Special Forces troops already stationed in Djibouti. But the embassy said that according to Pentagon officials in Washington, al-Qaeda members are believed to have infiltrated and are “hiding” in the region. “The United States is increasing its forces stationed around the Horn of Africa to about 1,200 troops,” the embassy said, quoting the Pentagon. It added that the troops could “stage attacks against fighters of al-Qaeda who are believed to be hiding throughout the region”. The new base is expected to operate from a naval command ship off the coast, but may then move onshore. It is also expected to work with “friendly nations” in the region to help in the fight against global terrorism.