The U.S. military is assisting the Libyan Transitional National Council (TNC) by transporting approximately 30 Libyans injured during recent fighting from Tripoli to hospitals in Europe and the United States.

According to a joint press release from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, "Saturday, in response to a request by the Transitional National Council, the United States is transporting 24 seriously wounded fighters to Spaulding Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. An additional six critical cases will be transferred to Germany for immediate care. All of these patients were injured as a result of recent fighting and suffer from conditions that cannot currently be treated in Libya."

Two U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying medical teams will fly the injured to medical facilities in Germany and the United States. Specialized U.S. Air Force medical teams will care for the injured on the two flights.

The TNC requested this U.S. humanitarian assistance through the U.S. Department of State. "The United States offers this humanitarian gesture of emergency medical evacuation assistance as a small token of our support, because we are committed to Libya's future," reads the joint statement.

U.S. Africa Command, commanded by General Carter F. Ham, last month directed its Army component, U.S. Army Africa, to establish Joint Task Force Odyssey Guard to plan for any potential U.S. military missions in post-conflict Libya. Major General David R. Hogg, the U.S Army Africa commander, is also commander of the joint task force.

For more information please contact U.S. Army Africa at +39.0444.71.7003 / email junel.jeffrey@eur.army.mil, or visit www.usaraf.army.mil. An alternative point of contact is U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs during normal business hours at +49.711.729.4714 / email AFRICOM-MEDIA@AFRICOM.MIL or after hours at +49.151.1217.8717 / email AFRICOM-MEDIA@AFRICOM.MIL.