US Military Buildup In Afghanistan Taking Form

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Pentagon is poised to announce the deployment of at least one more combat brigade to Afghanistan in the coming weeks, as the expected force buildup of U.S. soldiers and Marines begins to take form.

Officials say there will likely be one more Army brigade and one Marine regimental combat team ordered to Afghanistan by the summer – and at least one of those will be announced shortly after the first of the year.

Defense officials also confirmed earlier reports that a combat aviation brigade will head to Afghanistan early next year. The brigade – roughly 2,800 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne – is based at Fort Bragg, N.C.

All told, the U.S. could nearly double its troop levels there to as many as 60,000, sending up to four combat brigades and thousands of support forces within the next year.

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)