US Sending Over 3,000 Troops to Afghanistan; Will Have Over 14K Troops in Its Longest War

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said today (September 18, 2017) that the U.S. is sending another 3,000 troops to Afghanistan, an increase of over 25 percent in the number of American forces there, according to the VOA News website.


Mattis told reporters today at the Pentagon that the boost in U.S. troop strength would be "over 3,000," but he declined to name a specific number.


"Most of them are on their way or under orders now," Mattis said, "and I'd prefer not to give any more information that helps the enemy."


The new deployment will raise the number of U.S. forces in the South Asian country to more than 14,000, as the 16th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan -- sparked by the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States -- approaches in America's longest war ever.