The Pentagon announced on Aug. 5 that over 1,200 U.S. Marines stationed in Afghanistan would be ordered to stay an extra 26 days in the country.
The battalion was part of a 3,500-strong contingent sent earlier in the year to train Afghan police and security to assist the U.S./NATO colonial occupation under the guise of “fighting terrorism.” The U.S. Defense Department will send an additional 200 troops to Afghanistan. U.S. commanders have also requested that 10,000 more troops be deployed.
These decisions to strengthen the occupation force numbers are a response to growing resistance in Afghanistan. In June, 28 U.S. soldiers were killed in Afghanistan making it the deadliest month for U.S. forces since they invaded the country in 2001. Both Barack Obama and John McCain have indicated that they would like to further increase the size of the occupation force in Afghanistan.
