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Washington (AFP) Aug 5, 2008 The Pentagon has extended the deployment of 1,250 Marines in Afghanistan for 30 days until November to keep up the momentum of training of Afghan security forces, a spokesman said Tuesday. The marines, part of a 3,500-strong contingent sent earlier this year for seven months, are training Afghan police in the southern and western parts of the country. "They have been extended to maintain the momentum of ongoing training of Afghan forces," said Lieutenant Colonel Mark Wright. The Pentagon had previously extended the deployment of a 2,200-member Marine expeditionary unit that is fighting in the south for 30 days until November. US commanders have asked for three more combat brigades, or about 10,000 more troops to deal with an intensifying insurgency. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said he wants to beef up the 34,000-strong US force in Afghanistan "sooner rather than later," but he acknowledged last week that only about 200 extra troops are being added at the moment. About 15,000 of the US troops in Afghanistan are under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, and the other 19,000 are part of a separate US mission involved in training and counter-terrorism. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Share This Article With Planet Earth
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