Evacuation of U.S. troops from Mideast base sends community groups scrambling to help

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https://www.kpbs.org/news/politics/2026/04/03/evacuation-of-u-s-troops-from-mideast-base-sends-community-groups-scrambling-to-help

By Steve Walsh
Published April 3, 2026 at 2:00 AM PDT

NPR has learned that hundreds of sailors were evacuated back to the United States from their base in Bahrain after the base was attacked by Iranian missiles and drones. In addition to the base in Bahrain, NPR has learned that there have been evacuations at other U.S. military bases in the region, though the exact details are unknown at this point.

Bahrain is the home of the Navy's 5th Fleet, making it a central hub for providing maritime security in the Middle East region, including protecting commercial shipping. The country is an island in the Persian Gulf that sits roughly 124 nautical miles away from the coast of Iran, which makes Bahrain well within range of Iranian drone and missile strikes.

Around 8,000 people were stationed at the base in Bahrain before the U.S. attacked Iran on Feb. 28.......