The general number of U.S. Soldiers who perform official duties in Afghanistan is more than the Government authorities declare. The Pentagon officials admit 8,400 active armed forces, but the real number alternates between 11,000 and 12,000, according to the three U.S. defense authorities.
The reported number of troops are 8,448, which represents the maximum limit of U.S. soldiers who are approved to support the two military missions from afghanistan - Resolute Support or U.S. Forces Afghanistan.
But there are far more people who overlap between military units - one move from a state or activity to another and there are units and military forces on temporary service - less than 120 days.
These increasing number of people and units make the difference between the approved number of 8,400 soldiers and 12,000, as indicated by the authorities.
A new Procedure
President Donald Trump declared another procedure in Afghanistan Monday night, announcing that the U.S. extends authority for American military troops to focus on the terrorist and criminal organizations that brought viciousness and disorder through all Afghanistan. In any case, the president did not give particular insights into how the U.S. military strategy will change or what number of U.S. troops could be positioned for the new procedure.
Speaking amid an unexpected visit to Baghdad Tuesday, James Mattis (Secretary of Defense) also refused to state the number of U.S.
soldiers who might be sent. He said that he would prefer not to talk about the numbers in this moment. He claims he is authorized to go up with the right number.
When Mattis was asked if U.S. could send approximately 4,000 more soldiers, he declared that first, he has to analyze the plan that the military brought to him, after that he could say a number.
Just a week ago, Mattis clarified that the numbers of U.S. troops really serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria is not by any means clear to him. He clarified that some soldiers are not checked on the ground because they are there for a brief time, some of them are just transitioning, and a few of them are on classified missions.
Accounting Troops continue
Mattis said he had to adjust the accounting procedure because they don’t know exactly how many forces have on the ground. When he was asked why did the Pentagon still doesn't give the right number to the media, Mattis stated, he didn’t realize that was necessary. This comment was made on August 14, but the Government still has not given the right numbers.
The Commander of all U.S. troops said in a report Tuesday that the first organized military forces will land in Afghanistan very soon, according to the Associated Press.
General Joseph Votel spoke with the reporters who traveled with him in Saudi Arabia and stated that the important thing for us is to acquire some abilities to get an impact on the fighting season which is happening at the present time.
