Gates says thousands more troops will be sent
The U.S. military will pour thousands of troops into Afghanistan by next summer, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said. Visiting Afghanistan for the second time in four months, Gates said the Pentagon was moving to get three of the four combat brigades requested by commanders into Afghanistan by then.
Just before a meeting in Kandahar with Gen. David McKiernan, commander of U.S. and NATO troops in the country, Gates said he would not have to cut troop levels in Iraq to free up at least two brigades for Afghan duty. When all additional troops have arrived, U.S. forces will number more than 50,000.
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