Lebanese supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad fired heavy machine guns and lobbed mortar shells at each other Thursday in some of the worst fighting in the port city of Tripoli in years.WASHINGTON – U.S. officials said the Pentagon is moving two warships to the Libyan coast in the aftermath of the attack in Benghazi that killed the U.S. ambassador and three others.
Officials said one destroyer, the USS Laboon, moved to a position off the coast Wednesday, and the USS McFaul is en route and is expected to be stationed off the coast within days.
The officials said the ships, which carry Tomahawk missiles, do not have a specific mission. But they give commanders flexibility to respond to any mission ordered by the president.
The destroyers have crews totaling about 300. There have been four destroyers in the Mediterranean for some time. These moves will increase that to five.
Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss troop movements.
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What this is about
To see an earlier story about protesters killing the U.S. ambassador to Libya, click on this URL:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120912/NEWS03/120919879
