National guard troops to be deployed in DC as trucker convoy protests loom

US protest to follow Canadian truckers' demonstration against pandemic restrictions

The Pentagon is expected to approve the deployment of 700 to 800 unarmed national guard troops to the nation's capital, a US official said on Tuesday, in the face of trucker convoys that are planning protests against pandemic restrictions beginning next week.

The District of Columbia government and the US Capitol police are requesting the national guard assistance. The troops would be used largely to help control traffic and are expected to come from the district's national guard and three states, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss aid not yet formally approved.