Video footage of a US Navy and Marine Corps vessel abandoning the Libyan coast not far from Tripoli emerged online on Sunday, raising speculation of escalated security concerns after Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar ordered his troops to move towards Tripoli.
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The vessel resembles an LCAC hovercraft that is normally used by US forces to transport troops, vehicles and cargo from ship to shore.
Prior to this move, head of US Africa Command Marine Corps General Thomas Waldhauser said that the United States was temporarily withdrawing some of its forces from Libya due to the "increasingly complex and unpredictable" security situation.