Trump gives Pentagon authority to set Afghanistan troop levels

June 14 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump granted the Pentagon the authority to manage troop levels in Afghanistan, administration officials said.

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, who is believed to support sending additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, will determine if the approximately 9,800 U.S. troops currently deployed in there should be reinforced. Trump gave Mattis similar authority over troop levels in Syria and Iraq in April.

A formal announcement on ceding the authority to the Defense Department is expected Wednesday. The move comes earlier than anticipated; it was expected that any action on changes in U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan would come after mid-July, when the administration's strategy review is completed.

Giving more authority to the Pentagon allows military leaders more latitude in planning and conducting operations. Options were developed to deploy up to 5,000 more U.S. troops, including hundreds of Special Operations forces, to augment the international coalition force of about 13,000 troops presently in Afghanistan. About 2,000 U.S. troops there are currently assigned to fight al-Qaida and other militant groups.

Mattis told the Senate Armed Service Committee on Tuesday to expect the Trump administration to unveil its Afghan strategy within weeks.

"We are not winning in Afghanistan right now, and we will correct this as soon as possible," Mattis said in testimony.