Leaders in Kyiv began reaching out to U.S. military officials for help soon after Russia rolled into Ukraine following a tense build-up along the border that lasted several months. One of the first calls went out to the California National Guard.
Leaders in Kyiv began reaching out to U.S. military officials for help soon after Russia rolled into Ukraine following a tense buildup along the border that lasted several months. One of the first calls went out to the California National Guard.
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A dozen members of the US National Guard have been removed from duty at the inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden after vetting, which included screening for ties to right-wing extremism, Pentagon officials said on Tuesday.
There was no threat to Mr Biden, they said.
All 12 were found to have ties to right-wing militia groups or posted extremist views online, two officials told AP
The senior intelligence official and another from the Army did not say to which fringe group the Guard members belonged or in what unit they served in.
But Gen Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard, confirmed on Tuesday that the Guard members had been removed and sent home.
While the US capital Washington under lockdown and strict security measures emulates Baghdad, law enforcement agencies have screened the 25,000 plus National Guard members to make sure they do not pose a security risk during president Joe Biden and Kamala Harris inauguration, according to comments from top military officers.
The officials, a senior intelligence official and an Army official briefed on the matter, did not say which fringe group the Guard members belonged to or what unit they served in.