Europeans worried about US troops returning from Ebola-affected Africa
http://www.stripes.com/news/europeans-worried-about-us-troops-returning-from-ebola-affected-africa-1.311457
Europeans worried about US troops returning from Ebola-affected Africa
By Steven Beardsley
Stars and Stripes
Published: October 31, 2014
NAPLES, Italy European nations hosting U.S. bases from which troops are deploying to Ebola-affected areas of Africa are wary of letting them back in, despite the militarys planned quarantine measures, officials said.
Spain has refused to accept servicemembers arriving directly from Ebola-affected areas, while Italy has indicated it will accept only those who deploy from the country, according to several Defense Department officials. Questions remain about Djibouti, the small African country on the opposite side of the continent, from where a 15-member Seabee team deployed last month.
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Theyre eventually going to have to go back to their home station, said one defense official, who has knowledge of the discussion but was unauthorized to speak about it. The question is how do they get back to their home station.
Bases in Italy, Spain and Germany have played the primary role in the early stages of Operation United Assistance, providing troops and aircraft being sent to the region and providing refueling stops. But as these nations governments respond to public fears over spread of the virus, some have tightened restrictions.
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Germany has given little indication about its expectations for flights and personnel moving through the country. Besides air crews operating out of Ramstein Air Base WHO WILL (sic) spend little, if any, time near locals in the Ebola-affected zones, it was unclear whether any troops had deployed from bases in the country.
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The defense official familiar with discussions said the military was waiting for countries to begin clarifying their positions after the quarantine announcement.
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