New York Times: U.S. to Send More Troops to Aid Afghan Forces Pressed by Taliban
KABUL, Afghanistan — The United States Army will deploy hundreds of soldiers to the southern Afghan province of Helmand, where government forces have been pushed to the brink by Taliban militants, a military spokesman said Tuesday.
It will be the largest deployment of American troops outside major bases in Afghanistan since the end of the NATO combat mission in 2014. Though the military insists that the soldiers will not take active combat roles, American Special Operations forces have increasingly been drawn into the fighting in Helmand as one important district after another has fallen or been threatened by Taliban insurgents.
Col. Michael T. Lawhorn, a spokesman for the United States military in Afghanistan, said in a statement that the new deployment would provide protection for the current Special Operations troops in Helmand and give extra support and training for the 215th Corps of the Afghan National Army. Afghan forces in Helmand have taken heavy casualties in recent months and have been cut off by the Taliban in many places.
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More News On Reports That More U.S. Troops To be Deployed To Afghanistan
U.S. troop reinforcements head for embattled southern Afghan province -- Reuters
Pentagon will boost number of U.S. military advisers in southern Afghanistan -- Washington Post
US To Send Hundreds Of Troops To Afghanistan’s Helmand Province For Defense Against Taliban -- IBTimes
US to deploy hundreds of troops in Afghanistan to thwart Taliban -- The Guardian
U.S. To Send Reinforcements To Restive Afghan Province -- RFE