S
Sid9
Guest
January 14, 2008
More Marines Set to Go to Afghanistan
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 8:19 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) Military officials said Monday that about 3,200 Marines are
being told to prepare to go to Afghanistan - a move that will boost combat
troop levels in time for an expected Taliban offensive this spring.
Once complete, the deployment would increase U.S. forces in Afghanistan to
as much as 30,000, the highest level since the 2001 invasion after the
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The notices come as explosions rocked Kabul's most popular luxury hotel
Monday, killing at least six people, including one American and a journalist
from Norway. Officials said the assault on the Serena Hotel by militants may
signal a new era of Taliban attacks.
The military began notifying the Marines and their families over the
weekend, as Defense Secretary Robert Gates was expected to sign the formal
deployment orders. It was not clear Monday whether the orders had been
signed yet.
The proposal went to Gates on Friday, and while he told reporters that
afternoon that he had some questions about the move, there has been every
indication he was poised to approve it.
According to officials, 2,200 members of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit,
based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., will go to Afghanistan, as well as about 1,000
members of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, which is based at
Twentynine Palms, Calif.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the deployment
announcement has not yet been made. If approved, the deployment to southern
Afghanistan would be a ''one-time, seven-month'' assignment, Pentagon Press
Secretary Geoff Morrell said Friday.
The 2nd Battalion, which is from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center,
is an infantry unit, and it will be used largely for training Afghan forces.
The decision to increase U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan represents a shift
in Pentagon thinking that has been slowly developing in recent months.
Commanders faced with increasing violence have said they need as many as
7,500 more troops, but Gates initially pressed for other NATO nations to
fill the void.
NATO countries, however, faced public opposition to deeper involvement there
and were slow to respond, leaving Gates to acknowledge recently that the
U.S. may have to consider providing the extra combat troops.
Currently, there are about 27,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, including
14,000 with the NATO-led coalition. The other 13,000 U.S. troops are
training Afghan forces and hunting al-Qaida terrorists.
Afghanistan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammed Zahir Azimi said last
week that the deployment would help combat Taliban insurgents. But Azimi
added the long-term solution was to boost the fighting strength of
Afghanistan's own army.
------
More Marines Set to Go to Afghanistan
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 8:19 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) Military officials said Monday that about 3,200 Marines are
being told to prepare to go to Afghanistan - a move that will boost combat
troop levels in time for an expected Taliban offensive this spring.
Once complete, the deployment would increase U.S. forces in Afghanistan to
as much as 30,000, the highest level since the 2001 invasion after the
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The notices come as explosions rocked Kabul's most popular luxury hotel
Monday, killing at least six people, including one American and a journalist
from Norway. Officials said the assault on the Serena Hotel by militants may
signal a new era of Taliban attacks.
The military began notifying the Marines and their families over the
weekend, as Defense Secretary Robert Gates was expected to sign the formal
deployment orders. It was not clear Monday whether the orders had been
signed yet.
The proposal went to Gates on Friday, and while he told reporters that
afternoon that he had some questions about the move, there has been every
indication he was poised to approve it.
According to officials, 2,200 members of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit,
based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., will go to Afghanistan, as well as about 1,000
members of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, which is based at
Twentynine Palms, Calif.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the deployment
announcement has not yet been made. If approved, the deployment to southern
Afghanistan would be a ''one-time, seven-month'' assignment, Pentagon Press
Secretary Geoff Morrell said Friday.
The 2nd Battalion, which is from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center,
is an infantry unit, and it will be used largely for training Afghan forces.
The decision to increase U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan represents a shift
in Pentagon thinking that has been slowly developing in recent months.
Commanders faced with increasing violence have said they need as many as
7,500 more troops, but Gates initially pressed for other NATO nations to
fill the void.
NATO countries, however, faced public opposition to deeper involvement there
and were slow to respond, leaving Gates to acknowledge recently that the
U.S. may have to consider providing the extra combat troops.
Currently, there are about 27,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, including
14,000 with the NATO-led coalition. The other 13,000 U.S. troops are
training Afghan forces and hunting al-Qaida terrorists.
Afghanistan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammed Zahir Azimi said last
week that the deployment would help combat Taliban insurgents. But Azimi
added the long-term solution was to boost the fighting strength of
Afghanistan's own army.
------
