This archive report was first published on 8 January 2020.
On January 8, 2020, a US military base in Manda Bay, Kenya, was attacked by al-Shabaab fighters, prompting the deployment of additional US crisis response soldiers to secure the area.
The East Africa Response Force (EARF), a rapid deployment force, was sent to the base, which has both Kenyan and American military presence, to provide additional security.
According to US Africa Command (Africom), the EARF provides a critical combat-ready, rapid deployment force that can respond to events spanning a vast area of responsibility.
Major-General William Gayler, Director of Operations at Africom, stated, 'The EARF provides a critical combat-ready, rapid deployment force. The EARF’s ability to respond to events spanning a vast area of responsibility provides a proven and invaluable on-call reinforcement capability in times of need.'
The EARF responds to a broad range of military operations, including the protection of US citizens and diplomatic facilities, support for non-combatant evacuation operations, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief operations, and other missions as directed.
Following the attack, Africom revealed that the terrorists who were repulsed penetrated through a perimeter to launch their assault, highlighting the need for additional security measures.
