New US Army brigade for Afstan/Bush "chides" allies

Note that when the 173rd deploys it will mean both US Army brigades will be airborne (4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, being the other).

An Army unit that had been scheduled to go to Iraq is being sent instead to Afghanistan, where fighting has increased and the U.S. troop level is at its highest of the war.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Vicenza, Italy, was among several units the Pentagon said in November would go to Iraq as part of the normal rotation of forces. The department said in a statement yesterday that the brigade of about 3,200 will deploy this spring to Afghanistan instead to relieve a unit overdue to go home. Another unit will be found to replace the 173rd in Iraq...

...Deployment of the 173rd would keep the force at the current strength of 27,000 -- the highest of the war. Though the Pentagon statement said the future level of troops will depend on conditions there, it is expected to be a year-long deployment, and officials have said they want to keep the number of brigades in Afghanistan -- increased from one to two this month -- at that level until the spring of 2008 and possibly beyond [emphasis added].

Meanwhile President Bush takes on NATO allies (note he expects Taliban spring offensive). But he did not mention Canadian troops. Oh dear.

And PM Blair "has pledged to 'see the job through' in Afghanistan in spite of resurgent Taleban fighters" (800 more UK troops going).