US to send special forces to protect Olympics

Responding to a request from Greece, the US has committed 400 Special Forces soldiers to help protect the Olympic Games next month, an American counter-terror official said today.

The United States is in the process of discussing with the Greek government whether the armed soldiers, whose home base in Germany, would be sent to Athens, the site of the games, to nearby island Crete where the US team will train, or remain on alert in Europe, the official said.

The decision on where the position the soldiers is mostly up to the Greek government but will be taken jointly with General James Jones, the top NATO commander who also is commander of US forces in Europe, said the official.

Shadowing the Olympics in the country in which they originated is fear of terror attacks. The US plans to send State Department Diplomatic Security agents as well as FBI agents to Greece.

Israel, which lost 11 athletes to Palestinian terrorists in the 1972 Games at Munich, Germany, will send armed guards and is among a half-dozen countries contributing security expertise at Greece’s request.

Still, the brunt of securing the Games rests on the shoulders of the Greeks, whose pride at being the hosts is tempered by private concerns. Greek officials have said confidently that they are on top of the security problem.