Gates to send troops to Afghanistan, not Iraq

[unhappycamper]

New assignment
3rd Brigade headed to other theater.


Gates to send troops to Afghanistan, not Iraq
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 12, 2008 13:49:53 EDT

CAMP BUEHRING, KUWAIT — Defense Secretary Robert Gates has signed off on orders that will send the 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division to Afghanistan instead of Iraq early next year, Army sources said.

President Bush announced Tuesday that U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan will increase beginning in November with the deployment of a Marine battalion, to be followed by an Army brigade combat team in January. Those units had been slated for deployment to Iraq. They will not be replaced, contributing to a drawdown of some 8,000 troops by February.

Gates told the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that about 3,400 non-combat forces will begin coming home from Iraq this month, with a Marine battalion returning in November and another Army brigade combat team back by early February.

The non-combat forces include aviation personnel, explosive ordnance disposal teams, combat and construction engineers, military police and logistics support teams, he said.

The Army sources said no detailed plans had yet been developed for other cuts, and Army Gen. David Petreaus, top commander in Iraq, who is set to assume duties as head of U.S. Central Command on Tuesday, has requested a pause in any further force reductions in Iraq.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_deployments_091108w/%2e

[applegrove]

1. This is Obama's plan.