Trump says he will send 1,500 troops to Middle East

Washington - The forces would help strengthen US defenses in the region.

The US will bolster its military presence in the Middle East with an additional 1,500 troops, President Donald Trump said on Friday amid heightened tensions with Iran.
Trump said the troops would have a "mostly protective" role. He spoke to reporters on the White House lawn as he headed out on a trip to Japan.
"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 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.
The administration had notified Congress earlier in the day about the troop plans.
The forces would number "roughly" 1,500 and would deploy in the coming weeks, "with their primary responsibilities and activities being defensive in nature," according to a copy of the notification obtained by The Associated Press.
Their mission would include protecting US forces already in the region and ensuring freedom of navigation, the notification said.
Earlier this week, officials said Pentagon planners had outlined plans that could have sent up to 10,000 military reinforcements to the region. Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan later said planners hadn't settled on a figure.
The US began reinforcing its presence in the Arabian Gulf region this month in response to what it said was a threat from Iran.
The US has tens of thousands of troops in the Middle East. There are about 5,200 troops in Iraq and 2,000 in Syria.
Earlier this month, the US sent thousands more into the region around Iran, including an aircraft carrier strike group, four bomber aircraft and fighter jets.

• MENA