US to send 1,000 troops from airborne division to West Asia
The American military is preparing to deploy around 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to West Asia, a person with knowledge of the plans said.
The troops are to be sent in the coming days, the person said.
The unit is considered the Army’s emergency response force and can typically be deployed on short notice. The force would include a battalion of the 1st Brigade Combat Team as well as Major General Brandon Tegtmeier, the division’s commander, and division staff, according to the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.
It’s the latest addition of American troops after US officials last week said thousands of Marines aboard several Navy ships will be heading to the region.
While the Marine units are trained in missions that include supporting US embassies, evacuating civilians and disaster relief, the soldiers of the 82nd Airborne are trained to parachute into hostile or contested territory to secure key territory and airfields. The New York Times earlier reported that the deployment was being considered.
Energy prices fall back but remain high
The news of potential negotiations drove down the price of oil, after it had skyrocketed in recent weeks. Brent crude oil, the international standard, has neared $120 a barrel during the conflict but was trading below $100 Wednesday. It is still up around 35 per cent from the start of the war.
Economists and leaders have warned of far-reaching effects if energy prices remain high, from rising prices on food and other basics to higher rates for mortgages and auto loans.
A big driver of the spike in the oil price has been Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which leads from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.
Iran has allowed a small number of ships through the strait, but has said no ships from the US, Israel or countries seen as linked to them can pass.
Its OK for militias to act in self-defense, says Iraq
Iraq’s Government early Wednesday approved its militias and other members of its security forces to act in self-defense as it faces attacks.
The State-run Iraq News Agency reported the decision. State-sanctioned, mainly Shiite militias, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, have grown into a powerful political faction within Iraq.
They have been targeted in attacks after Shiite militias have been attacking sites associated with the United States in Iraq as the Iran war rages on.
The move appears aimed at securing the uneasy coalition Government now in control in Iraq as it balances competing forces within the country.
Israeli strikes on Southern Lebanon kill 9
The strikes late Tuesday also wounded dozens, the Lebanese health ministry reported.
The overall toll was three dead and 18 wounded in Nabatiyeh province; six dead and five wounded in Sidon province; and 29 wounded in Tyre province.
Since March 2, Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,072 and injured 2,966, including 121 children and 81 women, according to the ministry.
