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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Marine unit heading to Sudan in wake of violence

Lolita C. Baldor Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. official says an elite Marine rapid response team is headed to Sudan in the wake of violence and protests against the embassy in Khartoum.

The deployment comes as Sudanese police opened fire on protesters trying to climb the walls of the U.S. Embassy.

The Marine unit, known as a fleet antiterrorism security team, was sent in response to Friday’s violence and as a precautionary measure, as waves of attacks roiled the Muslim world over a film critical of Islam.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the deployment was not made public.

Similar teams were dispatched to Libya Wednesday after the fatal attack that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans there, and to Yemen on Friday in response to violence in Sanaa.