The United States has deployed more than 20,000 additional troops to the Middle East over the past eight months, AP reported.

Despite the promise of President Donald Trump to return the military home, the commander of the US Armed Forces in the Middle East, Marine Corps General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. said recently arrived troops may linger in the region for quite a while.

Mackenzie told the sailors and marines aboard the US Bataan landing ship, his voice sounded above the ship’s speaker.

On January 11, the USS Bataan and two other US warships set sail for the Middle East. The day before they were in the north of the Red Sea. Since May last year, the US military has grown to over 80,000.

To prevent further Iranian attacks, Mackenzie asked the Bataan Landing Warships to deviate from their original mission in Europe and pass through the Suez Canal to the Red Sea. These three ships have about 2,500 marines and 1,500 sailors.