The Pentagon deployed approximately 1,600 U.S. troops to Washington DC after several nights of violent protests in the city.
Americans protest over the death of George Floyd, 46, a black man, in police custody last week. Protests have become violent over the past week and pres. Donald Trump on Monday threatened to deploy the military in states to bring the protests under control.
Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman said in a statement that the troops were on military bases in the region, but not in Washington DC itself.
The troops include the military police, those with an engineering background as well as an infantry battalion.
BREAKING: Pres. Trump says he is "dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel, and law enforcement officers" in response to continued protests in Washington, D.C.
— ABC News (@ABC) June 1, 2020
"Our 7:00 curfew will be strictly enforced." https://t.co/n0fWIF4N9X pic.twitter.com/XkSlgLPxo4
