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About 50 Marines heading to Libya to increase security at embassy

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WASHINGTON -- In the wake of the deadly attack on a U.S. consulate in Libya, the Pentagon ordered a team of about 50 Marines to fly to Libyan capital to beef up security at the embassy there, according to two U.S. officials.

The Marines were dispatched to Tripoli from the U.S. naval base at Rota, Spain, and are expected to be on the ground shortly, one of the officials said.

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The attack that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans occurred in the eastern Libya city of Benghazi, and ensuing fires largely gutted the consulate there. So the additional Marines will guard the embassy in Tripoli, as the U.S. braces for possible protests there, the officials said.

‘There’s not much left’ of the consulate, but ‘more protests are expected this afternoon’ in Tripoli, one official said.

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-- David S. Cloud

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