US Defense Secretary James Mattis has arrived in Djibouti on a trip to bolster ties with the tiny African country, which houses the only known US military base on the continent.
After arriving at Camp Lemonnier on Sunday, the Pentagon chief headed to the capital Djibouti City to meet with the country’s president and defense minister. He will also meet with General Thomas Waldhauser, commander of US troops in Africa.
Touted by military experts as one of the most strategically important US military bases abroad, Camp Lemonnier has been dramatically expanded since it was built in 2001. The number of personnel stationed there, for example, has jumped from 900 to 5,000 since 2002.
The US has been using a fleet of drones stationed at the base to conduct bombing missions against several Muslim countries in the region..
The visit comes less the a month after the administration of US President Donald Trump allowed the US Africa Command to expand its airstrikes…