AFGHANISTAN/MILITARY: “The Pentagon maintains more than 12,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, defense officials said, currently about 3,500 more than it publicly acknowledges, a critical factor as military planners weigh how many additional forces to deploy under a new strategy.
The actual number of troops, which hasn’t been previously disclosed, reflects the true U.S. force level on the ground in Afghanistan. The Pentagon for many years has kept the actual number of forces deployed to a war zone hidden, choosing to publicly disclose only those deployed for longer periods while not counting those who slip in and out of a war zone on temporary status.
In recent years, when tens of thousands of troops were deployed to places like Afghanistan and Iraq, the difference between the public and the true numbers was largely inconsequential. But in recent years, overall troop numbers began to dwindle and the hidden number became more significant, analysts and military officials acknowledge.
In Afghanistan, there are currently about 8,400 troops that the Pentagon publicly acknowledges it has deployed to Afghanistan. But another 3,500 troops are there on temporary assignment or other status. Other groups of troops, such as special forces and other specialized units, are rarely if ever disclosed, bringing the total number in Afghanistan to above 12,000.
In addition, the Pentagon is expected to send up to another 3,900 troops under the new strategy for Afghanistan, for a total of about 16,000 troops, military officials said.”
-Gordon Lubold and Nancy Youssef, “U.S. Has More Troops in Afghanistan Than Publicly Disclosed,” The Wall Street Journal online, Aug. 22, 2017 08:02pm