Five US military helicopters flying over Grand Cayman created a stir on Tuesday afternoon as many took to social media flagging the sightings.
Videos were being circulated via WhatsApp and Facebook showing the helicopters circling before landing at Owen Roberts International Airport.
Cayman Islands Airports Authority CEO Albert Anderson confirmed that the Governor’s Office contacted the CIAA to have the helicopters accommodated at the airport.
The Compass understands from the US Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica, that the choppers – which include two heavy-lift Chinooks and three Black Hawks – will be overnighting at the airport before heading to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, on Wednesday.
There has been speculation that the helicopters, which includes at least one med-evac craft, may be on their way to Haiti, where reports out of the island nation are that law and order has collapsed following news that Prime Minister Ariel Henry has agreed to resign.
The US Embassy in Kingston confirmed that the helicopters are being “pre-positioned” at Guantánamo Bay to provide humanitarian assistance to Haiti, if it is required.
The BBC has reported that “Henry is currently stranded in Puerto Rico after being prevented by armed gangs from returning home”.
On Sunday, the US military issued a statement saying it had airlifted non-essential personnel from the US Embassy in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.
“This airlift of personnel into and out of the Embassy is consistent with our standard practice for Embassy security augmentation worldwide, and no Haitians were on board the military aircraft,” according to the statement.
It continued that the US Department of Defense “is postured to provide robust enabling support for the [United Nations-authorized Multinational Security Support], including planning assistance, information sharing, airlift, communications, and medical support”.
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