The United States has dispatched three B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to the US Pacific territory of Guam, where some US troops are stationed, the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) said Thursday.

Axar.az reports citing sputniknews.com.

According to the PACAF, approximately 200 airmen have been deployed to Guam to support the "Pacific Command's Bomber Assurance and Deterrence mission."

The stealth bombers are expected to conduct local and regional training sorties with the participation of regional partners in order to ensure a "high state of readiness and crew proficiency," the PACAF added.

The PACAF did not disclose the timing of the bombers' deployment on the island, which has strategic importance for the US military in the wake of North Korean nuclear and missile threats.
Tensions in the Pacific region have escalated last year in the wake of repeated ballistic missile launches and a nuclear test carried out by Pyongyang followed by the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council on North Korea. In August, North Korea said it was considering a strategy to strike a US military base in Guam, while Donald Trump said, in turn, that the United States would respond to North Korea's threats with "fire and fury."

In November 2017, US Air Force General David Goldfein said that in view of Pyongyang's actions, the US Air Force planned to deploy at least one type of its strategic bombers on Guam.