At the request of the Djiboutian government, the US military has halted its air operations in the East African country, a critical location in the fight against terrorism, following two accidents involving military aircraft, three defense officials told CNN.

On Tuesday, a US Marine Corps Harrier jet crashed at the country’s international airport. The pilot was able to eject and was treated at a medical facility but has since been released according to several officials. Later the same day, a Marine Corps CH-53 helicopter sustained “minor damage” while landing in Arta Beach. While the helicopter’s crew was uninjured, the officials told CNN that the US Navy is investigating reports that two civilians were injured by debris from the helicopter’s rotor wash. However, the officials said that US Navy investigators have not been granted access to the alleged victims by local police.

Following those accidents, the Djiboutian government sent the US a diplomatic notice requesting that all flying operations be halted, the officials said.

The US decision to halt air operations has also led the military to cancel Alligator Dagger, the military exercise that both aircraft were participating in.

“US air operations in Djibouti are on hold and US Naval Forces Central Command has canceled the remainder of exercise Alligator Dagger in response to two separate aviation incidents in Djibouti on April 3, 2018,” Cdr. Bill Urban, a spokesman for US Naval Forces Central Command, told CNN.

Urban said that both the Harrier and CH-53 incidents “are currently under a joint investigation.”

There are about 4,000 US personnel in Djibouti, based at Camp Lemonnier, and US forces there support military operations against the terrorist group al Shabaab in neighboring Somalia. The grounding of aircraft could affect both counterterrorism operations in Somalia, such as drone strikes, and support to Camp Lemonnier the officials said.

Two of the officials told CNN that the US military and the State Department are working with the government of Djibouti to get approval for flights on a case-by-case basis to ensure that support to both Somalia operations and Camp Lemonnier continue.

The US military places a lot of importance on its ability to base forces in Djibouti given its critically strategic location near countries like Somalia and Yemen.

But US officials have recently expressed concern about the growing influence of China in Djibouti, noting its recent establishment of a military base there as well as close Chinese economic links with the country. </s> The government of Djibouti grounded all U.S. military flights Wednesday at a base crucial to the U.S. fight against terror in Yemen and Somalia after two aircraft mishaps in as many days, according to three U.S. defense officials.

On Tuesday, a U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jet crashed as it was taking off at the African nation's Ambouli International Airport. The pilot ejected and is in stable condition at Camp Lemonnier, the U.S. Naval Expeditionary Base there.

On Wednesday, a CH-53 helicopter suffered structural damage during a landing in Arta Beach. No one was injured, according to Cmdr. Bill Urban, spokesperson for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

A U.S. Marine CH-53 helicopter dislodges U.S. and Philippine marines during a live-fire exercise called Phiblex 2013 in the northern Philippines on Oct. 16, 2012. Bullit Marquez

Both aircraft were participating in Alligator Dagger, an annual amphibious exercise in the region.

The U.S. has about 4,000 troops stationed at Camp Lemonnier, which serves as a base for U.S. operations against jihadis in Somalia and Yemen. Djibouti is on the Horn of Africa across the Gulf of Aden from southwestern Yemen.

During this flight suspension U.S. military aircraft cannot operate from either the commercial airport or from the U.S. military base.

The officials could not say how long the aircraft would be grounded or what impact it is having on U.S. military operations in the region. </s> On Tuesday, a US Marine Corps Harrier jet crashed at the country's international airport. The pilot was able to eject but is being treated at a medical facility. Later the same day, a Marine Corps CH-53 helicopter sustained "minor damage" while landing in Arta Beach. While the helicopter's crew was uninjured, the officials told CNN that the military is investigating reports that two civilians were injured by debris from the helicopter's rotor wash.

Following those accidents, the Djiboutian government sent the US a diplomatic notice requesting that all flying operations be halted, the officials said.

The US decision to halt air operations has also led the military to cancel Alligator Dagger, the military exercise that both aircraft were participating in.

There are about 4,000 US personnel in Djibouti, based at Camp Lemonnier, and US forces there support military operations against the terrorist group al Shabaab in neighboring Somalia. The grounding of aircraft could affect both counterterrorism operations in Somalia, such as drone strikes, and support to Camp Lemonnier the officials said.

Two of the officials told CNN that the US military and the State Department are working with the government of Djibouti to get approval for flights on a case-by-case basis to ensure that support to both Somalia operations and Camp Lemonnier continue. The US military places a lot of importance on its ability to base forces in Djibouti given its critically strategic location near countries like Somalia and Yemen. But US officials have recently expressed concern about the growing influence of China in Djibouti, noting its recent establishment of a military base there as well as close Chinese economic links with the country. </s> On Tuesday, a U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jet crashed as it was taking off at the African nation's Ambouli International Airport. The pilot ejected and is in stable condition at Camp Lemonnier, the U.S. Naval Expeditionary Base there.

On Wednesday, a CH-53 helicopter suffered structural damage during a landing in Arta Beach. No one was injured, according to Cmdr. Bill Urban, spokesperson for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

Both aircraft were participating in Alligator Dagger, an annual amphibious exercise in the region.

The U.S. has about 4,000 troops stationed at Camp Lemonnier, which serves as a base for U.S. operations against jihadis in Somalia and Yemen. Djibouti is on the Horn of Africa across the Gulf of Aden from southwestern Yemen.

During this flight suspension U.S. military aircraft cannot operate from either the commercial airport or from the U.S. military base.

The officials could not say how long the aircraft would be grounded or what impact it is having on U.S. military operations in the region. </s> The Pentagon has canceled a training exercise in the Djibouti region following two separate aviation mishaps this week, officials said Thursday, as the US military grapples with a spate of flight accidents.

The government of Djibouti ordered the grounding of military flights following the incidents, said Commander Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.

As a consequence an amphibious training exercise known as Alligator Dagger was canceled.

"A safety stand-down has been initiated for all exercise participants," Urban said.

The US military has been rocked by a string of aviation accidents in recent days, including an F-16 crash near Las Vegas on Wednesday that killed the pilot.

On Tuesday, four crew members died when a Marine Corps helicopter crashed while on a routine training mission in Southern California.

And in Djibouti, two incidents on Tuesday triggered the grounding of US military flights.

The first saw an AV-8B Harrier jet crash at Djibouti International Airport. The pilot, who ejected, survived the crash.

Then separately, a Marine CH-53 Super Stallion helicopter suffered "structural damage" during a landing at a landing zone at Djibouti's Arta Beach, Urban said. The crew in that case was not injured.

The US base in Djibouti is a key a staging area for the US in its anti-jihadist campaigns in Yemen and Somalia.

Pentagon spokesman Marine Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie said there was no apparent linkage between any of the accidents.

"We regret each one. We'll look at them carefully. I'm certainly not prepared to say that it's a wave of mishaps or some form of crisis," McKenzie said. </s> The U.S. military has cancelled the remainder of a training exercise in the Horn of Africa, and the government of Djibouti has halted U.S. military air operations there, following two U.S. Marine aircraft crashes this week in Djibouti.

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie says the decision to cancel the remainder of an exercise called Alligator Dagger was “a reasonable precaution” in light of the aviation accidents, which happened separately but within a few hours of each other on Tuesday.

McKenzie said the U.S. and the government of Djibouti jointly decided to suspend all U.S. military flights there. He said he had no other details.

The U.S. conducts sensitive surveillance and counterterrorism air missions out of Djibouti.

The accidents are under investigation. </s> iStock/Thinkstock(DJIBOUTI CITY, Djibouti) — The U.S. military has canceled the rest of the ongoing “Alligator Dagger” exercise in Djibouti at the request of that country’s government following two back-to-back aviation accidents on Tuesday involving Marine aircraft.

No U.S. personnel were hurt in the accidents, but a U.S. official said they had raised concerns with Djibouti’s government and as a result, it grounded U.S. aircraft participating in the exercise.

That led the United States to call off the exercise involving Marine personnel and aircraft from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit said the officials. The Marines are currently deployed aboard ships with the USS Iwo Jima amphibious ready group currently offshore of the East African country.

“U.S. air operations in Djibouti are on hold and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command has canceled the remainder of exercise Alligator Dagger in response to two separate aviation incidents in Djibouti on April 3, 2018,” said Commander Bill Urban, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

On Tuesday, an AV-8B Harrier jet crashed while taking off from the airport at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti. The pilot was able to eject and was cleared for duty following a medical evaluation.

Later that same day, a Marine CH-53 helicopter carried out a “hard landing” at a beach few miles outside of the capital of Djibouti City. It is not known what prompted the landing and though the helicopter was damaged no U.S. personnel aboard were hurt in the incident.

“The aircrew were not injured during the landing and the helicopter has remained at the landing site pending additional assessment,” said Urban.

“Both incidents are currently under a joint investigation, and we will provide more information when able,” he added. “A safety stand-down has been initiated for all exercise participants.”

NBC News was first to report that the government of Djibouti had grounded American aircraft participating in the exercise. </s> WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. military has canceled a training exercise off the coast of Djibouti and paused air operations from the country after two separate air mishaps earlier this week, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

"U.S. air operations in Djibouti are on hold and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command has canceled the remainder of exercise Alligator Dagger in response to two separate aviation incidents in Djibouti," the military said in a statement.

On Tuesday, a U.S. Marine Corps jet crashed in Djibouti. The pilot was in stable condition. In a separate incident, a CH-53 helicopter suffered "structural damage" during a landing at Arta Beach, Djibouti. (Reporting by Idrees Ali Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) </s> A United States Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier II jet crashed in Djibouti, in East Africa, on Tuesday, according to two defense officials. The pilot was able to eject and is currently being medically evaluated the officials added, the extent of the pilot's injuries are currently unknown.

The United States has a large military presence in Djibouti based at Camp Lemonnier where some 4,000 US personnel are stationed.

This story is breaking and will be updated.
Djibouti grounds all flights at a US military base in the country after two accidents in two days. The base is used for counterterror operations in Yemen and Somalia.