Gunman kills 2 U.S. airmen, injures 2 others, at Frankfurt airport

The AP reports that two U.S. airmen were killed and two wounded in a shooting at the Frankfurt airport:

A man armed with a handgun attacked a bus carrying U.S. airmen outside Frankfurt airport Wednesday, killing two Americans and wounding two others before being taken into custody, authorities said.

The suspect is a 20-year old man from Kosovo. The attack came as the bus sat outside the airport’s Terminal 2.  The article reports:

The attacker and U.S. military personnel apparently had an altercation in front of the bus just before the man started shooting, Fuellhardt said. The attacker also briefly entered the bus, and was apprehended by police when he tried to escape.

The U.S. has drastically reduced its forces in Germany over the last decade, but still has some 50,000 troops stationed here. It operates several major facilities in the Frankfurt region, including the Ramstein Air Base, which is often used as a logistical hub for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

U.S. Air Force Europe spokeswoman Maj. Beverly Mock said all four victims were airmen. They were based in Britain, a U.S. Air Force spokesman for the Lakenheath airfield in eastern England said.

Lakenheath is home to the 48th Fighter Wing, the only F-15 fighter wing in Europe. It employs some 4,500 active-duty military members, as well as 2,000 British and U.S. civilians.

Whatever the shooter’s motive was, there is no justification for this kind violence.   This tragic incident should make us question the presence of more than 1000 U.S. foreign military bases around the world, which is a source of great conflict with local communities.   The U.S. empire of bases puts military personnel stationed abroad in situations where their presence fuels resentment and makes them targets of rage.