150 US Marines ready to enter South Sudan

U.S. Marines poised to enter South Sudan
CNN
By Marie-Louise Gumuchian. Barbara Starr and Antonia Mortensen
December 23, 2013

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: U.S. special envoy to South Sudan says Kiir ready to begin talks with rival
About 150 Marines are headed to South Sudan to help with evacuations, security
Rebels seize Bentiu, capital of the oil-producing Unity state in South Sudan
U.S. citizens flown out of flashpoint town of Bor on Sunday

(CNN) -- About 150 U.S. Marines are poised to enter turbulent South Sudan to help evacuate Americans and provide security for the U.S. Embassy, two U.S. military officials said Monday.

The troops are moving from Spain to Africa, probably to the nation of Djibouti, the officials told CNN's Barbara Starr on Monday.

An estimated 100 U.S. citizens are believed to be in South Sudan, where steady violence is stoking fears of an all-out civil war in the world's newest country.

"By positioning these forces forward, we are able to more quickly respond to crisis in the region, if required," read a statement from U.S. Africa Command.

It cited the example of Benghazi, where an attack last year killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

"One of the lessons learned from the tragic events in Benghazi was that we needed to be better postured, in order to respond to developing or crisis situations, if needed. These precautionary movements will allow us to do just that," the statement read.
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