US boost Afghanistan mission troop numbers

About 3,200 US Marines are being told to prepare to go to Afghanistan to boost troop levels in preparation for an expected Taliban offensive in coming months, military officials said.

Once complete, the deployment would increase US forces in Afghanistan to 30,000, the highest level since the 2001 invasion that followed the terror attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon.

Explosions rocked Kabul’s most popular luxury hotel yesterday, killing at least six people including a journalist from Norway and an American. Officials said the assault on the Serena Hotel by militants might signal a new era of Taliban attacks.

The military began notifying the US Marines and their families during the weekend, and Defence Secretary Robert Gates was expected to sign the formal deployment orders.

The proposal went to Mr 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 prepared to approve it.

According to officials, 2,200 members of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based in North Carolina, will go to Afghanistan, as well as about 1,000 members of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment out of California.

The decision to increase US 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 Mr 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 Mr Gates to acknowledge recently that the US might have to consider providing the extra combat troops.

Currently, about 27,000 US troops are in Afghanistan, including 14,000 with the Nato-led coalition. The other 13,000 US troops are training Afghan forces and hunting al Qaida terrorists.

Afghanistan Defence Ministry spokesman General Mohammed Zahir Azimi said last week that the deployment would help combat Taliban insurgents. But Mr Azimi added the long-term solution was to boost the fighting strength of Afghanistan’s own army.