Some 7,000 U.S. troops soon may have to pack their bags for Afghanistan if the Pentagon goes through with plans to make up for a shortfall in military personnel from NATO, The New York Times reported on Saturday.
If the proposal moves forward, Bush administration officials say, the service members would be sent to increase U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan to about 40,000, requiring a modest troop reduction in Iraq, the newspaper says.
The Times reported the plan is in response to NATO’s reluctance or inability to contribute a sufficient number of troops despite allies’ vows of their commitment to help.
At a NATO summit in April in Romania, President Bush said the United States aims to increase troop levels to combat a resurging Taliban threat.
Click here to read more on this story from The New York Times.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox