U.S. to order military dependents out of Bahrain
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Up to 900 U.S. military dependents will be ordered out of Bahrain because of "credible intelligence" that the tiny Persian Gulf state could be the next site of a terrorist kidnapping or other attack against Americans, Pentagon sources said Friday.
Bahrain is headquarters for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and maritime components of the U.S. Central Command, which both operate in the Gulf region. The military has 4,500 service members stationed there. There are 370 military and Defense Department families in the country.
Military sources said a number of "town-hall" meetings have been held with military families in Bahrain in the past several days.
The Pentagon insists the mandatory departure is not an evacuation, but rather a "temporary relocation." It was unclear when the dependents will be allowed to return.
The base has no military housing but is home to the Bahrain School -- run by the Pentagon and attended by children of military families.
Earlier Friday, the State Department urged all U.S. citizens in Bahrain to consider leaving.
"The department has received information that extremists are planning attacks against U.S. and other Western interests in the Kingdom of Bahrain," said the department's travel warning. "Credible information indicates that extremists remain at large and are planning attacks in Bahrain."
State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said U.S. officials felt compelled to warn Americans about the security risks, "given the fact there is information individuals are planning attacks and are at-large."
The decision to send the families out of Bahrain marks the first mandatory order of that type in the Gulf nation.
Before the Iraq war, military families could voluntarily leave Bahrain and travel home at government expense.