MANAMA, 11 July 2004 — US military families have begun leaving Bahrain by the dozens, complying with a formal order to leave the country following reports that terrorists were planning attacks here, a spokesman for the US Navy’s 5th Fleet said yesterday.
Cmdr. James Graybeal said dozens of family members were flown out on a US-bound military flight late Friday.
“We have begun the relocation of our family members. We expect the process to take a few weeks to complete,” Graybeal said.
Citing security reasons, he refused to say exactly how many people traveled on Friday’s flight, bound for the naval station in Norfolk, Virginia. He would not say when the next flight would depart but said the evacuation would be completed this month.
Friday’s flight was the first evacuation since the formal departure orders came during Fourth of July celebrations last Sunday, two days after the Pentagon announced the first such mandatory evacuation from the Gulf where the US Navy has had a presence for more than 50 years.
“People are very sad to see their families go, but they know this is an important mission and we are very committed to continue our mission and do our work,” Graybeal said.
He said the orders affected 420 families, or about 930 people, who are relatives of service members or Defense Department staff.
Graybeal earlier said the order would affect 350 families, or 650 people. He later explained that figure was based on estimates of the 69 individual commands operating under the 5th Fleet, and the higher figure came after an actual audit of the records.
On July 1, the State Department cautioned Americans against traveling to Bahrain and advised Americans who live there to leave because of information that extremists were planning attacks in Bahrain. The Pentagon said a day later that it was withdrawing service members’ families from Bahrain for at least 30 days. The State Department added last Saturday it had authorized the voluntary departure of family members and non-emergency employees of the US Embassy in Bahrain.
The State Department has provided no details on the information it has about possible terror attacks on Americans in Bahrain.
Bahrain has stepped up security on the 24-kilometer (15-mile) causeway linking it to Saudi Arabia, which has seen a series of attacks on Americans and other Westerners living there. Some here have expressed fears that Saudi militants, under pressure from their security forces, might see Bahrain as an easier place to attack Westerners.
Last Saturday, King Hamad said Bahrain was ready to send a naval force to help safeguard Iraqi territorial waters if asked by the new, US-backed Iraqi government. Few other Arab leaders have been willing to commit troops for fear of being seen as supporting the US-led war that toppled Iraq’s Saddam Hussein.
Bahrain also has ongoing free trade agreement negotiations with the United States.
King Hamad was one of the few Arab leaders to accept an invitation to last month’s Group of Eight summit in the United States, where a US initiative to encourage democratization in the Arab world was unveiled.
