The Pentagon has deployed about 4,500 troops to the Middle East following Friday's drone attack that killed a top Iranian military official.
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The new troops will join the approximately 50,000 already stationed in the region.

Several events prompted the influx of new forces: the death of an American contractor in Iraq during a rocket attack on Dec. 27 carried out by an Iranian-backed militia; protests around the United States Embassy in Baghdad afterward, following a series of American airstrikes on the militia; and last week’s drone strike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, an Iranian security and intelligence commander, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a powerful Iraqi militia commander and government official.

Roughly 4,000 troops — a brigade — from the 82nd Airborne Division based out of Fort Bragg, N.C., have started deploying to Kuwait. They are part of the division’s global response force, kept on standby for particular emergencies. 

A senior United States military officer said the deployment of the 82nd Airborne paratroopers and other ground forces was defensive, meant to position more troops in the Middle East who could be quickly deployed to defend or reinforce American embassies, consulates and military bases.

Members of the brigade will not be able to deploy with their cellphones, one Defense Department official said, citing “operational security.” In recent years, cellular communications, especially posts on social media, have given away units’ locations.

This deployment also includes: roughly 100 other paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, based out of Vicenza, Italy; 100 Marines from the Second Battalion, Seventh Marine Regiment; and around 100 Army Rangers from the 75th Ranger Regiment.

On top of this, thousands more Marines and Navy soldiers are presently on their way to the Middle East following a previous deployment.

[Source](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/06/world/middleeast/troops-iran-iraq.html)
[Source](https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/us-iran-soleimani-tensions-intl-01-06-20/h_d4f3b7ee40fcfbbc033d28c0db15610c)
[Source](https://www.stripes.com/news/europe/173rd-airborne-brigade-troops-to-deploy-to-middle-east-1.613712)
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