A new US military command for Africa will stay in Germany at least through 2011, the top US military officer said on Tuesday.
The United States had initially hoped to base the command in Africa but no government on the continent proved willing to host the headquarters amid suspicion over Washington's motives.
"I think it was a few months ago that the secretary of defense made the decision that it would continue to be based in Stuttgart for the next — I think it's through the next three years," Admiral Mike Mullen told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Some African critics have sought to link the Africom project — created by former President George W. Bush in 2007 — to the increasing reliance of the United States on imports of oil from Africa, especially the crude-rich Gulf of Guinea.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
