U.S.: Airmen injured by China high-grade lasers

The United States has delivered a diplomatic démarche to China after alleging that the Chinese military injured two U. S. airmen by directing highgrade lasers at American aircraft in Djibouti.

Pentagon chief spokeswoman Dana White said at a briefing Thursday that the United States has requested China investigate multiple incidents in recent weeks in which U. S. aircraft in Djibouti have been affected by unauthorized Chinese laser activity.

White said the Pentagon was confident that Chinese nationals were responsible. She said there had been more than two but fewer than 10 such in- cidents, which she said had increased in frequency in recent weeks.

“It’s a serious matter,” White said. “And we’re taking it very seriously.”

The United States and China both have bases in Djibouti, an east African nation on the Gulf of Aden with fewer than a million people. Djibouti has become a hub of foreign mil- itary activity in recent years, hosting bases from an array of countries including France, Italy and Japan.

Camp Lemonnier, a U.S. naval expeditionary base in Djibouti that is home to about 4,000 American service members, serves as a hub for American counterterrorism activities in nearby countries such as Somalia and Yemen.

The incidents with the lasers, which can temporarily blind pilots, come as one of the first major dustups since China opened its first overseas military base in Djibouti in 2017.

White said two American airmen had suffered minor injuries as a result of the incidents but didn’t provide details.