March 19, 2008	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 10, 1429

KABUL, March 18: Hundreds of the 3,600 US Marines due in southern Afghanistan to reinforce international efforts against extremists are on the ground and preparing for their mission, their unit said on Tuesday.

They began arriving last week and are preparing facilities for when the other troops arrive, acclimatising and gathering information about the area, their public relations officer said.

The “majority” of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit of 2,300 soldiers had arrived, Staff Sergeant Robert Piper said without providing a number for security reasons.

The unit would work under the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force and “conduct full-spectrum operations to capitalise on recent ISAF and Afghan Nation Security Force successes.” A second group was due in the coming weeks and would assist with the training and development of Afghan security forces, he said.

Another battalion from the 7th Marine Regiment will make up the other 1,300 personnel.

“These Marines will bring the total number of Marines deployed to Afghanistan to approximately 3,600,” Piper said.

The full deployment is expected to be on the ground by late April, as Taliban-linked unrest picks up with the arrival of warmer weather.

Their deployment comes as Nato leaders called on their partners to send more troops and equipment to fight the Taliban, particularly in southern Afghanistan where the rebels are most active.

Some nations under pressure in the south, notably Canada, have threatened to leave unless they get support.

Last year was the bloodiest of a Taliban-led insurgency, with more than 8,000 people killed in 2007, most of them rebels but including 1,500 civilians, according to United Nations figures.

Officials insist the strategy to defeat the insurgency is making headway but acknowledge this year will be just as deadly, with the Taliban vowing a wave of suicide attacks, undermining public confidence.

ISAF consists of about 47,000 soldiers from nearly 40 nations, while the separate US-led coalition numbers 20,000, the majority US soldiers.—AFP