US President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered National Guard troops to start withdrawing from Washington, where the protests over the killing of George Floyd have been peaceful in recent days.
In a telephone briefing with reporters, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said guardsmen from 11 states, who came to assist the D.C. National Guard, will be returning home over the next two or three days.
Altogether, the National Guard force from D.C. and the states totaled more than 5,000 this past week, though only about one-third were on the streets at any given time, he said.
The D.C. National Guard will, if needed, continue to support Washington police and federal law enforcement in the city, he added.
In addition, McCarthy expressed relief that active duty troops, who were brought to bases in Virginia and Maryland, just outside Washington, were not needed.
“We came right up to the edge of bringing active duty troops here, and we didn’t,” he said. Those troops were sent back to their home bases over the past few days.
I have just given an order for our National Guard to start the process of withdrawing from Washington, D.C., now that everything is under perfect control. They will be going home, but can quickly return, if needed. Far fewer protesters showed up last night than anticipated!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2020
Trump said last week he might call on active duty forces to put down unrest in cities across the country. But he appears to have pulled back from that position as the violence has subsided.
On May 31, the worst day of unrest and looting in Washington, five guardsmen were injured, including one who suffered a severe concussion when he was hit by a brick in the head, McCarthy said.
But the protests have been peaceful since then. McCarthy estimated that more than 45,000 people took part in protests Saturday that lasted from noon to midnight. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said no arrests were made Saturday at any of several demonstrations.
(C) Control TV 2020.
