American diplomatic cables show the Botswana government gave the US the green light to explore the possibility of establishing an Africom base.

US Government officials travelling with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday denied that US military bases in Africa was on the agenda.

A top Pentagon official insisted on Wednesday that no country in Africa had been asked to host the new US military command for Africa (Africom).

The US military's new Africa command went into action on Wednesday, but hostility has forced it to shelve plans to be based on the continent.

West African military chiefs have charged that the United States has failed to consult adequately with countries that will be affected by a planned American military command for Africa. The group said the plan "had not been fully understood" by African countries.