(Adnkronos) – The Pentagon is sending three warships and thousands more Marines to the Middle East, in a second deployment of troops to the region in the last week. Approximately 2,200 service members from the USS Boxer amphibious ready group, which is based in California, and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, originally destined to be deployed to the Indo-Pacific region, have had their mission changed and accelerated and are now headed to the Middle East. US sources told several American media outlets, who emphasize that it is unclear when they will actually arrive in the region and what their specific mission will be.
The deployment comes after another tactical group, the Tripoli amphibious ready group, with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, also composed of 2,200 service members, was deployed to the Middle East in recent days. Earlier this week, CNN reported that the USS Tripoli was near Singapore. It is unclear if both units will operate simultaneously and for how long in the Middle East, CNN adds.
