AMarine anti-terrorism unit has now been deployed to protect the American embassy in Haiti, U.S. military officials say, as violent gangs continue to generate unrest in the Caribbean nation’s capital.
The U.S. Southern Command said in a statement early Wednesday that at the request of the State Department, it deployed a “U.S. Marine Fleet-Anti-terrorism Security Team (FAST) to maintain strong security capabilities at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and conduct relief in place for our current Marines, a common and routine practice worldwide.”
“The U.S. Embassy remains open, and limited operations continue, focused on assistance to U.S. citizens and supporting Haitian-led efforts to secure a peaceful transition of power,” it added.
The U.S. military already has sent forces to Haiti over the weekend to bolster security at the U.S. Embassy and airlifted non-essential personnel – such as family of diplomats – who had remained after an order for such individuals to evacuate last summer.
In a briefing on Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said he did not have a firm number on the total number of Americans still in Haiti who are trying to leave.
Blinken also announced another $33 million in humanitarian aid and the creation of a joint proposal agreed on by Caribbean leaders and “all of the Haitian stakeholders to expedite a political transition,” according to the Associated Press.
