FORT BRAGG, N.C. – About 750 troops are spending their New Year’s Day deploying to Iraq.
The soldiers from Fort Bragg, North Carolina are heading to the Middle East after hundreds of protesters attacked the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Tuesday.
The infantry battalion is part of the immediate response force of the 82nd Airborne Division to U.S. Central Command.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirmed additional troops are preparing to deploy over the next several days. He calls it an “appropriate and precautionary action in response to increased threat levels against U.S. personnel and facilities.”
Tuesday’s protests were a response to U.S. airstrikes on an Iran-backed militia group in Iraq.
President Trump tweeted after the attack Iran would be held fully responsible and would “pay a very big price.”
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.