US sending 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan
US President Barack Obama has authorized the deployment of 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, according to the White House.
"The decision was communicated to the Pentagon yesterday. The orders were signed today," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters on Tuesday.
The 17,000 includes troops and support personnel, Reuters reported.
"This increase is necessary to stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, which has not received the strategic attention, direction, and resources it urgently requires," Obama said in a written statement.
The deployment of new troops is the first major military decision of the Obama administration.
During the election campaign, Obama had said that he would redeploy troops based in Iraq to Afghanistan, which would be a major shift of focus to Central Asia.
The White House said the troops would deploy to Afghanistan ahead of the Afghan national elections scheduled for August 20, significantly building up the 38,000 US forces battling the spreading insurgency.
They include 8,000 marines in the marine expeditionary brigade, 4,000 troops in the army Stryker brigade, and 5,000 support troops.
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