Pentagon Analysing Haiti's Request for US Military Presence, Spokesman Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Pentagon is analysing a request from the Haitian government to send troops to the Caribbean island nation after the murder of President Jovenel Moise, spokesman John Kirby told Fox News on 11 July.

"We're analyzing it, just like we would any other request for assistance here at the Pentagon. It's going through a review. I'm not going to get ahead of that process," he said in an interview.

Kirby added that a team of Department of Homeland Security and FBI officials was heading down to Haiti to see what they could do to help Haitians in the investigative process.

"I think that's really where our energies are best applied right now in helping them get their arms around investigating this incident and figuring out who's culpable, who's responsible and how best to hold them accountable going forward. That's where our focus is right now," he said.

19 suspects – 17 Colombian nationals and two American citizens of Haitian descent – have been arrested in the wake of Moise’s 7 July killing. Police believe some 28 foreign mercenaries in total were involved in the assassination plot.

The two arrested Americans have said that they were working as translators on behalf of a mysterious mastermind identified only as "Mike."