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Robert Gates. Photo: EPA |
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US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered two ships to move towards the Libyan coast, including the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge, with 2,000 Marines on board, helicopters and fighter planes.
Washington says this is being done with humanitarian considerations in mind, but President Barack Obama earlier said he was not ruling out a military intervention in the strife-torn North African nation.
News coming in from London says a British army battalion based in Scotland has been placed on stand-by to deploy to Libya within hours.
