US to deploy thousands of additional troops to Middle East following Soleimani's killing

The United States will deploy thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, amid rising tensions with Iran, following airstrikes that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, informed a US defence official.

Pentagon has also confirmed the additional deployment of troops from a US' Immediate Response Force unit, reported CNN.

Earlier it was reported that the US has deployed 750 troops from a similar unit following the attack on US violent protest at the US embassy in Baghdad.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said the killing of Iran's elite IRGC Qassem Soleimani by US military was aimed 'to stop a war, not to start a war.'

He also said that Qassem was plotting attacks on US diplomats and military personnel before he was killed.

This comes at a backdrop of Washington's strike carried out near Baghdad's international airport killing Soleimani, a US-designated terrorist, along with six others on the direction of President Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Iran on Friday vowed to take a "vigorous revenge" over the killing of General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite IRGC.

The US had accused Soleimani of orchestrating several attacks on coalition bases in Iraq including the December 27 attack in which American and Iraqi personnel were killed.