WASHINGTON: The US military is deploying thousands of additional Marines and sailors to West Asia, three US officials said on Friday. No decision had been made to send troops into Iran itself, but they will build up the capacity for future operations in the region, the officials said on condition of anonymity. One official confirmed that the USS Boxer and two other amphibious assault ships, along with roughly 2,500 Marines of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, are bound for West Asia from their home port of San Diego. Two other US officials confirmed that the ships were deploying, without saying where they were headed.One of the officials said the troops were departing the US about three weeks ahead of schedule. The White House and Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment. The additional deployments will add to the 50,000 US troops already in West Asia and would bring two Marine Expeditionary Units to the region. The units, usually comprised of 2,500 Marines, can be used for a number of reasons, including carrying out strikes using the aircraft on board the ships, or being deployed on land. Sources had previously said the US military was preparing for possible next steps in the war US military ramps up to clear Strait of HormuzUS warplanes and attack helicopters are ramping up assaults against Iranian drones and naval vessels in an escalating military effort to clear the Strait of Hormuz, US officials said. Gen Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that low-flying Air Force A-10 Warthog planes were “hunting and killing fast-attack watercraft” operated by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in the contested sea lanes. Caine added that some regional allies, which he did not identify, were using Apache helicopter gunships to “handle one-way attack drones,” one of the most potent weapons Iran has used to strike across the Persian Gulf. The US is considering plans to occupy Iran’s Kharg Island to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported on Friday, citing four sources.Belarus fertiliser curbs liftedThe US lifted sanctions Thursday on three Belarusian companies that produce a crucial ingredient in fertiliser, as war causes fertiliser prices to skyrocket and threatens farmers’ bottom lines. Washington DC made the move in exchange for Minsk freeing 250 political prisoners. Agencies
