Obama Sends Troops to Chad to Evacuate Americans

President Obama says 50 US troops have deployed to the African country of Chad to help evacuate US citizens and embassy personnel from the neighboring Central African Republic's capital of Bangui in the face of rebel advances toward the city. Obama informed congressional leaders of Thursday's deployment in a letter yesterday citing a "deteriorating security situation" in the Central African Republic.

The evacuation of the US diplomats comes in the wake of criticism of the Obama administration's handling of diplomatic security at its consulate in Benghazi, Libya. In the Central African Republic, rebels have seized at least 10 northern towns. They continued their advance yesterday, seizing the city of Sibut, 114 miles from Bangui. (More Central African Republic stories.)