Trump announces US military buildup in Middle East
Tehran (KNA) - US President Donald Trump has announced he would deploy about 1,500 American troops to the Middle East region for "mostly protective" reasons, amid escalating tensions with Iran.
We want to have protection in the Middle East. We're going to be sending a relatively small number of troops, mostly protective," Trump said on Friday as he left the White House for a trip to Japan.
"Some very talented people are going to the Middle East right now. And we'll see what happens," he said, with providing details what he really meant by "very talented people".
The Pentagon said only about 900 of the 1500 troops will be newly deployed. It said the other 600 are already in the Middle East region and will be extended.
The US Defense Department added that the deployment approved by the US president includes Patriot missile batteries, reconnaissance planes and troops.
Source: PressTV