WASHINGTON: According to a US Marine Corps source, the US is sending a number of platoons to Egypt. Bikya Masr was able to confirm from a Marine source, who was not authorized to speak to the media, that families of high-ranking Marines will soon be deployed to Egypt as an emergency deployment and would not be able to speak about their mission. According to Businessinsider.com, the alert for the Marines went out on February 5. The senior Marine told their source that the Pentagon would deploy “multiple platoons” to Egypt over the next few days and that the official reason will be ‘to assist in the evacuation of US citizens.” The source added that “the chances they were going over there went from 70% yesterday to 100% today.” On Friday, the Pentagon announced it would move “U.S. warships and other military assets to make sure it is prepared in case evacuation of U.S. citizens from Egypt becomes necessary,” according the the LA Times. It was unclear whether the Marines would also act as part of an increase in security around the US Embassy in Cairo. The embassy has told all American citizens in the country to leave immediately and have offered flight assistance to those wishing to make the exodus from Egypt. Anti-government protests in the country are now in their 15th day with no signs of ending in the near future. BM
