3,200 US Marines prepare to deploy to Afghanistan

ABOUT 3,200 US Marines are being told to prepare to go to Afghanistan to boost combat troop levels in preparation for an expected Taliban offensive in coming months, military officials say.

Once complete, the deployment would increase US forces in Afghanistan to as much as 30,000, the highest level since the US-led 2001 invasion that followed the terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon.

Explosions rocked Kabul's most popular luxury hotel yesterday, killing at least six people including an American and a journalist from Norway. Officials said the assault on the Serena Hotel by militants might signal a new era of Taliban attacks.

The military began notifying the Marines and their families during the weekend, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates was expected to sign the formal deployment orders. It was not clear yesterday whether the orders had been signed.

The proposal went to Gates on Friday, and while he told reporters that afternoon that he had some questions about the move, there has been every indication he was prepared to approve it.

According to officials, 2,200 members of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based in North Carolina, will go to Afghanistan, as well as about 1,000 members of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment out of California.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the deployment announcement has not been made. If approved, the deployment to southern Afghanistan would be a "one-time, seven-month" assignment, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Friday.

The 2nd Battalion, which is from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, is an infantry unit, and it will be used largely to train Afghan forces.

The decision to increase US troop levels in Afghanistan represents a shift in Pentagon thinking that has been slowly developing in recent months. Commanders faced with increasing violence have said they need as many as 7,500 more troops, but Gates initially pressed for other NATO nations to fill the void.

NATO countries, however, faced public opposition to deeper involvement there and were slow to respond, leaving Gates to acknowledge recently that the US might have to consider providing the extra combat troops.

Currently, about 27,000 US troops are in Afghanistan, including 14,000 with the NATO-led coalition. The other 13,000 US troops are training Afghan forces and hunting al-Qaida terrorists.

Afghanistan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammed Zahir Azimi said last week that the deployment would help combat Taliban insurgents. But Azimi added the long-term solution was to boost the fighting strength of Afghanistan's own army.

Agencies