"Special Operations Command Africa commander Maj. Gen. Mark Hicks suspended the Special Operations Command Forward ‐ East Africa commander and senior enlisted adviser of their duties on May 10 due to allegations of misconduct," Maj. Casey Osborne, a front man for Special Operations Command Africa, told CNN.
"Gen. Hicks directed both individuals to return to their home station for further adjudication regarding the allegations," Osborne added, while not specifying the nature of the allegations.
Many of the Navy SEALs in East Africa conduct operations in Somalia, where they advise Somali forces battling al-Shabaab
...
the personification of Somali state failure..., the local affiliate of al Qaeda.
The two Navy SEALs are being investigated by the Navy’s Criminal Investigative Service.
"A commanding officer and command master chief assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit have been relieved of their duties overseas due to alleged misconduct," Lt. Jacqui Maxwell, a spokesperson for Naval Special Warfare Group TWO, told CNN.
"Naval Special Warfare and NCIS have initiated investigations as appropriate," she added.
A spokesperson for NCIS did not immediately respond to questions from CNN about the investigation.
ABC was first to report the allegations.
News of the investigation comes as Special Operations Forces in Africa have come under increasing scrutiny.
Earlier on Friday US Africa Command, which oversees US military operations on the continent, issued a statement saying it was reviewing allegations that civilian casualties had been caused during a May 9 "Somali-led operation to disrupt and degrade al-Shabaab’s terrorist network near Bulcida, Somalia."