Pentagon to Brief White House on 5,000-Troop Option for Mideast
The Pentagon is planning to brief the White House on options to deploy as many as 5,000 American troops to the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran, a U.S. official said on Wednesday. The official, who was granted anonymity to discuss a national security matter, said that the deployment, if it went forward, would be for “defensive purposes”.
Word that the administration was considering sending more troops to the region came as concerns have been rising about the risk of conflict between the U.S. and the Tehran government. President Donald Trump has dispatched an aircraft carrier and bombers to the Persian Gulf in response to ‘unspecified threats’ from Iran.
“The threat is real. It’s been credible,” Secretary of State Michael Pompeo told Fox News on Thursday, declining to confirm troop levels.
“Without getting into specifics you can be sure that President Trump will ensure that we have all the resources necessary to respond in the event that the Islamic Republic of Iran should decide to attack America ...”
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-22/pentagon-to-brief-white-house-on-5-000-troop-option-for-mideast?srnd=politics-vp
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