KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- The Afghan government says any addition of U.S. troops in the country would help its own forces in strengthening security.
The government was responding to reports the United States may send 3,000 Marines to the violence-ravaged country, where the NATO-led forces are facing a shortfall of 7,000 troops in the midst of growing Taliban violence.
Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman Sultan Ahmad Baheen said more U.S. troops would fill an important need to help Afghan forces assume more of the country's security burden, Voice of America reported.
The report said U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was to formally receive the request on the troops Friday. It said Gates may not decide immediately on the request as he has been pressing NATO allies to meet the shortfall in the alliance's Afghanistan battle plan.
The VOA report said the request to be sent to him Friday would be a compromise in that the additional U.S. forces would be deployed for only seven months.
The United States already has about 27,000 troops in Afghanistan out of a total of 55,000 foreign forces, the report said.
The BBC reported said the additional troops would help combat an anticipated Taliban offensive.
