WASHINGTON – The United States formally complained to China after Chinesenationals pointed lasers at US military aircraft near Djibouti in recentweeks, the Pentagon said on Thursday, an account strongly disputed by China.

Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa, hosts a US military base that is home toabout 4,000 personnel, including special operations forces, and is a launchpad for operations in Yemen and Somalia.

The US military has been grappling with lasers being pointed at aircraftfor decades. However, the Pentagon accusations highlight the concern theUnited States has about a Chinese military base just miles from a criticalUS base in Djibouti.

“They are very serious incidents … We have formally démarched the Chinesegovernment and we’ve requested the Chinese investigate these incidents,”Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White told reporters.

White said the Pentagon was confident the lasers had been pointed byChinese nationals and in the past few weeks fewer than 10 incidents hadtaken place. The intent was unclear.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that in oneincident last month, two pilots in a C-130 suffered minor eye injuries.

The official said in a few instances, military grade lasers from theChinese base had been pointed at aircraft.

In a brief statement, China’s Defence Ministry said the US accusations werefalse. – Agencies