The U.S. military has canceled a training exercise off the coast of Djibouti and paused air operations from the country after two separate air mishaps earlier this week, U.S. officials said on Thursday.
“U.S. air operations in Djibouti are on hold and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command has canceled the remainder of exercise Alligator Dagger in response to two separate aviation incidents in Djibouti,” the military said in a statement.
On Tuesday, a U.S. Marine Corps jet crashed in Djibouti. The pilot was in stable condition. In a separate incident, a CH-53 helicopter suffered “structural damage” during a landing at Arta Beach, Djibouti.