By Joseph Ax (Reuters) -Hundreds of additional National Guard troops are headed to Washington, D.C., from half a dozen Republican-led states, bolstering President Donald Trump's extraordinary move to flood the Democratic-led city with soldiers and federal agents in what he claims is an effort to fight violent crime.

The number of National Guard troops patrolling Washington, D.C., will more than double in the coming days after Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina and West Virginia in the past several days committed troops to President Trump’s federal takeover of the city.

Five Republican governors have now deployed National Guard soldiers to Washington, D.C., following President Donald Trump's request to send troops.