US troop surge in Afghanistan begins
December 17th, 2009 - 5:02 am ICT by IANS ( Leave a comment )
Washington, Dec 17 (DPA) The first of an additional 30,000 troops ordered into Afghanistan by US President Barack Obama have arrived, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
The troops are part of the 1,500 Marines expected to be in place by Christmas, spokesman Geoff Morrell said.
Obama announced December 1 that he was expanding the US presence in Afghanistan to reverse gains made by the Taliban in recent years and stabilize the war-ravaged country.
“The surge has begun in earnest,” Morrell said.
Up to 16,000 soldiers received deployment orders days after Obama’s announcement. The full force of 30,000 is scheduled to be deployed by the end of summer. The buildup will bring the total US contingency to 98,000.
- 'Concerned' India wants US to stay in Afghanistan till peace, stability returns - Dec 06, 2009
- US signals flexibility in Afghan withdrawal date - Dec 03, 2009
- Obama sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan (Second Lead) - Dec 02, 2009
- US military warns of Al Qaeda return to Afghanistan - Dec 03, 2009
- Obama says his 'fairly modest' Afghan aims can be achieved - Aug 02, 2010
- US asks British troops' help in Afghanistan - Jul 15, 2011
- US troops have two years to turn tides in Afghanistan: Mullen - Dec 08, 2009
- Spain to send 500 more troops to Afghanistan - Dec 18, 2009
- Spain to begin troop withdrawals from Afghanistan in 2012 - Jun 24, 2011
- US Congress approves spending measure for Afghanistan - Jul 28, 2010
- Karzai sacks country's Interior Minister, Security chief - Jun 07, 2010
- Spanish troops to withdraw from Afghanistan by 2014 - Jun 25, 2011
- US strategy working in Afghanistan: Robert Gates - Dec 09, 2010
- Pentagon debunks reports of US ships being deployed off India for Obama visit - Nov 06, 2010
- Afghanistan welcomes Obama's revised strategy - Dec 02, 2009
Tags: afghanistan, barack obama, christmas, contingency, deployment orders, full force, geoff morrell, marines, pentagon, presence, spokesman, taliban
