President Donald Trump's new travel ban includes Chad, but some Pentagon and State Department officials opposed the decision to include the central African country on the list, according to a report in The New York Times.
Chad, which has been ruled by authoritarian General Idriss Déby since 1990 — is "an important and valuable counterterrorism partner of the U.S." with whom "the U.S. looks forward to expanding that cooperation, including in the areas of immigration and border management," according to the presidential proclamation released Sept. 24.
But Chad, it says, has failed to "adequately share public-safety and terrorism-related information."
The officials who spoke with the Times said banning travelers from Chad can potentially harm long-term national security interests and embassy officials told the paper they were still confused on why the country was included. The decision to do so came on the recommendation of acting secretary of Homeland Security Elaine C. Duke.
Carter Ham, a retired general who formerly headed the Africa Command, said the decision was "puzzling."
Added John Campbell, former United States ambassador to Nigeria: "To me, what they did makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, none, zero."
Chad could be removed, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, the president's national security adviser, told an audience at a Washington conference Monday.
"That list is not fixed," he said. "On Chad, there was a real debate."
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