US Marines sent to the Adriatic

About 2,000 Marines and sailors have been ordered to move into the Adriatic Sea as a precautionary measure, a Pentagon official said yesterday, Reuter reports. Units of the USS Nassau Mediterranean Amphibious Group have been directed to shorten scheduled port visits to Toulon. They will be available if needed to support UN, Nato and US military personnel, the Pentagon said.

The Marines should arrive off Bosnia early next week, NBC News reported, adding that Washington hopes their presence will be enough to scare the Serbs into ending their siege of Bihac.