DJIBOUTI - US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Djibouti on Wednesday for talks with the government and to visit a key US military base from where pilots fly missions over Yemen and Somalia.
The tiny Horn of Africa nation overlooking the Gulf of Aden has become an important center for Washington's interventions in Africa and against al-Qaida safe havens in Yemen. Off its shores is a vital sea lane for ships heading to the Gulf.
A senior State Department official said Kerry will thank President Ismail Omer Guelleh, who has ruled the country since 1999, for being a dependable ally in the fight against terrorism and for the role it played in evacuations from Yemen.
