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The Pentagon has deployed about 100 troops - including more than 50 Marines
attached to a Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team to the U.S. Embassy compound
in Baghdad, Iraq, to help protect diplomatic personnel and property.
Meanwhile, President Obama is considering military action against the
Islamic insurgents, who have seized vast swaths of northern Iraq and are
moving south toward the capital. Several U.S. warships have moved into the
Persian Gulf, where they provide "the commander in chief additional options
to protect American citizens and interests in Iraq, should he choose to use
them," said Rear Adm. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, on Monday.
The arrival of FAST Marines and a contingent of U.S. soldiers on the ground
in Iraq on Sunday marked the first operational deployment of U.S. troops
there since the withdrawal of combat forces in December 2011. Pentagon
officials declined to identify the Army unit deployed to Baghdad. The Marine
platoon is based out of nearby Bahrain, and is tasked with protecting
American personnel and property, said Master Sgt. William Price, a spokesman
for Marine Corps Forces Central Command.
FAST Marines are the traditional go-to assets when U.S. embassies require
reinforcement in times of crises. The Marine Corps has two more
forward-deployed FAST elements in Spain and Japan.
By Epictetus
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