More than 15,000 national guard troops prepare to leave Washington

More than 15,000 national guard troops are preparing to leave Washington DC and head home after Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration passed with only a handful of minor arrests and incidents.

The National Guard Bureau has said of the nearly 26,000 troops deployed, just 10,600 remained on duty. The bureau said the guard was helping states with coordination and logistics so that troops could get home.

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Meanwhile, the Washington Post and Politico reported that hundreds of guard troops were forced out of areas of the Capitol they had been using for rest breaks and were relocated to a nearby garage. Photos of the troops in the garage drew outrage from lawmakers.

Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran, tweeted: “Just made a number of calls and have been informed Capitol police have apologized to the guardsmen and they will be allowed back into the complex tonight. I’ll keep checking to make sure they are.”

After midnight, Duckworth tweeted an update: “Troops are now all out of the garage. Now I can go to bed.” Politico reported they had been allowed back into the Capitol.

Thousands of national guard troops from across the country arrived in Washington in response to escalating security threats and fears of further rioting following the storming of the Capitol earlier this month by a pro-Trump mob.

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Guard forces were scattered around the city this week, helping to secure the Capitol, as well as monuments, Metro entrances and the perimeter of central DC, which was largely locked down for several days leading up to Wednesday’s ceremony.

The Secret Service announced that the special security event for the inauguration officially ended at noon Thursday.

The guard said it could take several days to make arrangements to send all the troops home. Guard members will have to turn in equipment, make travel plans and go through Covid-19 screening.

Some local law enforcement agencies have asked for continued assistance from the guard, and roughly 7,000 troops are expected to stay in the region until the end of the month.