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Monday, July 6, 20099

U.S. Navy dependents return to Bahrain after lifting of 2004 Al Qaida alert

ABU DHABI — The U.S. Navy is expediting the arrival of what could be thousands of dependents of American military personnel in Bahrain.   

Officials said the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet approved the return of the dependents for military and Defense Department personnel in Bahrain in June 2009, Middle East Newsline reported. They said any of the 3,000 personnel in Fifth Fleet headquarters could invite spouses and children to live in the Gulf Cooperation Council state.

"The return of family members of all ages is an extremely important sign of the security and stability in the region," Fifth Fleet commander Vice Adm. William Gortney said. "It will also improve the quality of life for our service members and DoD civilians." In 2004, the Pentagon ordered nearly 1,000 non-essential staffers and dependents out of Bahrain amid the threat of Al Qaida attack. Since then, the Pentagon has been discussing safety requirements for the return of the dependents.


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"The move becomes effective immediately, and I do know that 10 family members have arrived on the island already," U.S. Navy spokesman Lt. Nathan Christiansen said on June 29.

On June 28, the Defense Department said children of U.S. military personnel could return to Bahrain. Officials said up to 500 children could arrive in the Gulf Arab kingdom over the next few months.

"We have around 3,000 people in Bahrain on what we call 'permanent duty orders,'" Christiansen said. "The decision means that any of these people who wish to bring their families to live with them can now do so."

By April 2007, dependents were allowed to visit military personnel in Bahrain. In January 2009, based on a decision made three months earlier, the first dependents arrived on a permanent basis in Manama. The return of the dependents, officials said, would enable military personnel to spend up to two years in a single tour in Bahrain.

The return of the dependents came as Bahrain placed on trial two men charged with being part of an Al Qaida plot to attack the Fifth Fleet. U.S. Navy officers said Manama has been sharing information on the purported Al Qaida plot, which allegedly included operatives in Jordan and Kuwait.



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