U.S. to Deploy 1,500 More Troops to Saudi Arabia: Pentagon
Pentagon said Friday that the extra troops are being deployed “to assure and enhance the defense of Saudi Arabia.”
Alex Wong/Getty
The United States will deploy thousands of U.S. forces to Saudi Arabia in response to Iran’s attack on the country’s oil facilities in September, the Pentagon announced Friday. The deployment of about 1,500 extra troops will also include fighter squadrons, early detection aircraft, and air defense systems. The move comes shortly after President Trump decided to withdraw U.S. military forces from northeastern Syria, essentially allowing Turkey to attack America’s Kurdish allies.
“[Defense] Secretary Esper informed Saudi Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Muhammad bin Salman this morning of the additional troop deployment to assure and enhance the defense of Saudi Arabia,” Chief Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement on Friday. “Taken together with other deployments, this constitutes an additional 3,000 forces that have been extended or authorized within the last month.”
Defense Secretary Esper: "I have ordered the deployment to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia of two additional fighter squadrons and supporting personnel" pic.twitter.com/qbnW52U0fl
— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 11, 2019
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.