Khaberni - According to American "NPR" radio, quoting an unnamed source in the US Navy, the United States has evacuated about 1,500 Navy personnel and their families from the naval base in Bahrain.
The report also stated that hundreds of pets were also evacuated from the base, which serves as the headquarters for the United States' Fifth Fleet, following a series of retaliatory strikes carried out by Iran.
According to the radio, there were about 8,000 people at the US Navy support base in Bahrain before the conflict broke out. During the early days of the armed confrontation, the facility, as NPR confirms, was targeted by several Iranian missile and drone attacks.
The evacuees began arriving at Norfolk Base in Virginia, USA, since at least mid-March, where local community organizations providing support to military personnel reported that many of the returnees arrived almost without their personal belongings, and needed the simplest essential supplies.
Keith Shainsey, deputy commander of one of the branches of the American Legion veterans association, told NPR: "They were literally told: just take what you can carry in a backpack. You must leave immediately." He added that some of the first arrivals were only wearing the clothes they had on at the moment of evacuation.
NPR also noted that the evacuation operations also included other US bases in the Middle East, although details about these operations have not yet been revealed. The US Navy confirmed that it is providing urgent assistance to the evacuated military personnel and their families, including psychological, financial, and legal support, without specifying a possible return date to the region as of yet.
