Djibouti, a tiny Horn of Africa nation with less than 1 million inhabitants, has become a military outpost for China, France, Italy and Japan. (Elias Messeret/AP)The United States has formally complained to China after alleging that the Chinese military injured two U.S. airmen by directing high-grade lasers at American aircraft in Djibouti. The incidents with the lasers, which can temporarily blind pilots, come as one of the first major dust-ups since China opened its first overseas military base in Djibouti in 2017. The facility’s opening raised concerns among American military officials about the proximity of the Chinese military installation to American forces. American authorities recently issued a notice warning pilots that there had been incidents involving “a high-power laser” near the Chinese base in Djibouti.

Source: Washington Post May 03, 2018 16:50 UTC