Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — The United States has reported the preparation of
troops to intervene in Libya.

The Defense Department said the U.S. military has sent troops near the
coast of the North African state over the last seven months. The Pentagon
said the troops were on alert for any attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities
or staffers in Libya.

“We are prepared to respond if necessary, if conditions deteriorate or
if we were called upon,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said. “Obviously, we have moved assets and personnel.”

In a briefing on May 13, Little said U.S. troops were equipped with
aircraft that could rapidly reach Libya from bases in the Mediterranean. He said a force of 500 Marines could fly to Libya on the new V-22 Osprey air transport.

Little did not provide details of Pentagon efforts to protect U.S.
personnel in Libya. In September 2012, the U.S. military failed to respond
to an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, in which four people,
including the ambassador, were killed.

Officials said the Pentagon also organized a rapid deployment force in
Italy that could reach Libya within hours. They said the force was stationed
at the NATO base in Sigonella, Sicily.

The U.S. preparations were disclosed amid bombings in Benghazi and
Tripoli over the last month. Both Britain and the United States have reduced
their embassy staff in fear of an attack by former rebels.

  Benghazi, George Little, NATO base in Sigonella, U.S. moves ‘assets and personnel’ near Libyan coast, V-22 Osprey