U.S. sends paratroopers to Kuwait after Baghdad embassy riot
U.S. sends paratroopers to Kuwait after Baghdad embassy riot

Washington — The U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division is deploying paratroopers to Kuwait, after Iran-affiliated rioters swarmed the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said in a written statement on Tuesday that Air Force C-17s were already flying in 750 paratroopers of the division's Immediate Response Force.

The Military Times reports that the 750 paratroopers will be joined by an additional 4,000 U.S. soldiers from the division's IRF in the following week.

The 82 Airborne Division said in a statement that the 1st Brigade Combat Team is currently assigned to the IRF role.

According to Fox News, the alert sequence for the Division Ready Brigade is to have one rifle battalion ready in 18 hours, another rifle battalion in 36 hours and a third in 54 hours.

The alert brigade should be ready to deploy for operations within a 96-hour alert window.

Fox reports that the aircraft carrier USS Harry S.

Truman has been in the Gulf of Oman with its carrier strike group, armed with F-18 fighters and Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Citing the Pentagon, Fox reports that there are 60,000 US troops in the Middle East, including the 14,000 reinforcements added since May in response to Iran's rising threat.