Pentagon orders 16,000 troops to Afghanistan
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The United States has ordered 16,000 troops to Afghanistan, the first installment of an estimated 30,000-person surge ordered last week by President Obama, the Pentagon announced this morning.
This afternoon, Obama is scheduled to meet with Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, and Karl Eikenberry, U.S. ambassador to the country. McChrystal and Eikenberry will testify before Congress this week.
Obama announced his new Afghanistan policy last week, adding 30,000 U.S. troops to the 68,000 already authorized. NATO, which has about 40,000 troops in Afghanistan, has agreed to add about 7,000 more next year. McChrystal had sought 40,000 U.S. troops. He will likely be asked by Congress if the current allotment is enough to complete the mission, as defined by Obama.
The president’s policy announcement also set a July 2011 target date for beginning the withdrawal of U.S. troops, and McChrystal and Eikenberry are expected to be quizzed on how solid that time line really is.
This morning, the Pentagon announced that about 1,500 Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C., will leave for Afghanistan later this month. The troops are expected to be on the ground by Christmas.
Early next year, the Marines will send 6,200 troops from Camp Lejeune and 800 from Camp Pendleton in California. The Army will also begin sending in the first of its forces: 3,400 from Ft. Drum in upstate New York. About 4,100 Army combat support troops from various units have been ordered to Afghanistan as well, it was announced.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates M. signed the deployment orders last week.
-- Michael Muskal
