"The Diego Garcia military base is a cornerstone of US and allied power projection across the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. As the UK moves to transfer sovereignty of the islands, its strategic importance has turned the base into a political and diplomatic flash point. The island's strategic location has long made it especially valuable for US military operations, including long-range bomber missions and naval deployments- a role underscored by satellite images last year showing US bombers operating from the base."
"What is Trump saying about Diego Garcia? Located in the Chagos Islands, Diego Garcia became the site of a US-UK military installation after Britain forcibly removed the native Chagossian people in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Seven years ago, in 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled that the removals were unlawful and said that the UK should relinquish control of the islands."
President Donald Trump called the UK's decision to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands "an act of great stupidity." Diego Garcia serves as a cornerstone for US and allied power projection across the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and parts of Africa, supporting long-range bomber missions and naval deployments. Britain removed the native Chagossian people in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and in 2019 the International Court of Justice ruled those removals unlawful, advising that the UK relinquish control. The UK reached a deal to transfer sovereignty to Mauritius while keeping Diego Garcia under British control on a 99-year lease, costing about $136 million per year. Satellite images showed US aircraft operating from the base.
Read at Business Insider
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