NORFOLK, Va. — A Norfolk-based ship is poised off the coast of Sudan, soon to be joined by another locally-based Navy vessel.
MORE: US suspends operations in Sudan amid ongoing violence
The Pentagon said the USS Truxton and the USS Puller are ready to be called into action if help is needed with the evacuations of Americans from the war-torn country. A power struggle between the two generals has turned the capital into a warzone, leading to mass evacuations.
MORE: US supporting evacuations and coordinating new cease-fire in Sudan
More than 400 people have been killed since the fighting in Sudan began nine days ago. President Biden ordered the evacuation of U.S. Embassy personnel from Sudan over the weekend.
Virginia Beach SEAL Team 6 was involved, according to CBS News, in airlifting nearly 90 people out of the Embassy.
Locals are concerned that once the evacuees are gone, the fighting will only get worse.
There are still an estimated 16,000 Americans in Sudan, according to the Department of Defense.
"In terms of next steps, U.S. Africa Command and the Department of Defense continue to work closely with State Department, which has the lead for helping American citizens wishing to depart Sudan," Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder. "Those efforts include providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to observe potential land routes out of Sudan to detect threats, and positioning naval assets off the coast of Sudan should they be needed."
