The United States Army is making plans that may take the total force in Afghanistan a notch higher by as many as additional 1,000 US troops this spring, senior military officials said.
According to the Washington Post, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has not signed off on the proposals for the new forces, which are part of a broader strategy to bolster Afghan forces.
Military officials expect the total force this spring to be about 15,000 troops.
There are 14,000 US troops already present in the war-torn country.
Army's senior leadership supports the likely increase. The new strategy that President Trump approved in August would push US advisory teams to the battalion level, far closer to the front lines, the report said.
President Trump announced in August that 3,000 to 4,000 more troops would be sent to Afghanistan in an attempt to finally score a decisive victory in a war that has dragged on for more than fifteen years.
General John Nicholson, the head of US forces in Afghanistan, told reporters last month that there would be more US boots on the ground in the coming months, but did not provide specifics.
There are "well over 1,000 advisers out at any given time," Nicholson said, but in 2018 "this [number] will increase dramatically.
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