WASHINGTON: The US National Guard pulled two soldiers from security duty for Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration ceremony on Tuesday after troops were vetted for links to extremist groups.

“Due to operational security, we do not discuss the process nor the outcome of the vetting process for military members supporting the inauguration,” the National Guard told CNN.

Washington in recent days has become a city in virtual lockdown, with concrete blockades, barbed wire and thousands of armed troops patrolling downtown streets after the violent assault on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump on Jan 6.

The FBI had announced it would be conducting background checks on the visiting National Guard troops to further identify potential security risks.

We “want to make sure that we have the right people in the security bubble,” Gen William Walker, head of the National Guard in Washington, told Fox News on Monday.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2021