Philip Mwakio
21 March 2002
Two more German Navy surveillance craft flew out of Moi International Airport (MIA) yesterday after the first successful technical flight to the Horn of Africa on Tuesday.
The planes that flew out yesterday, on the second day of the mission, were Marine 6108 and Marine 6104.
Speaking to the East African Standard by telephone, Commander Knut Huk, who is the Press Officer with the German Navy in Mombasa, said the inaugural flight by Marine 6115 lasted 10 hours.
Huk said that the Turbo Prop aircraft flew out of Mombasa early Tuesday to the area of operation in the vicinity of the Horn of Africa in the International waters of the Indian ocean.
It landed at the Moi International Airport at 5.00 pm on Tuesday after flying at different heights during its inaugural flight.
Germany has dedicated three surveillance planes which are fitted with radar and infrared cameras to monitor the Indian Ocean.
The mission is to ensure that no Al Qaida fighters fleeing Afghanistan enter Somalia.
Meanwhile, a final detachment of German soldiers is expected in Mombasa mid next month. The group will join 120 others who are already in the Coastal city for the exercise code-named "Enduring Freedom". And the German Navy has put up a modern communication centre at the Kenya's US liaison office at MIA complete with satellite links.
This has been done after only four days of the German Navy officers' arrival in the port town.
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