Pentagon to deploy over 5,000 troops to Mexico border: top general

The Pentagon will deploy more than 5,000 soldiers to the US-Mexico border, a top general said Monday, as President Donald Trump warned a caravan of Central American migrants that the military was waiting.

"By the end of the week, we will deploy over 5,200 soldiers to the southwest border," Air Force General Terrence O'Shaughnessy, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command, told reporters.

The deployment would represent a sharp increase from initial estimates last week when US officials said about 800 active-duty troops would be sent to provide assistance.