Pentagon to Send More Troops, Fighter Jets to Saudi Arabia
October 11th, 2019Via: USA Today:
The Pentagon will send thousands more troops and two squadrons of fighter jets to Saudi Arabia as tensions increase with Iran.
The move follows an attack last month on oil production facilities in Saudi Arabia that Iran was “clearly responsible for,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday. Iran denied it had a role in the attacks, which an Iranian-backed proxy force claimed credit for.
The deployment adds to the 11,000 troops sent to the region since May in response to requests from U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East. Friday’s announcement covers troops send to the region or whose deployments have been extended. In all, the Pentagon has added about 3,000 troops over the last month.
