The first of 30,000 additional U.S. troops being deployed to Afghanistan have started to arrive, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Chief spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters that a Marine battalion ordered to deploy earlier this month already has “some boots on the ground,” with the rest of the unit to be flown in before December 25. According to Morrell, “the surge has begun in earnest.” Defense officials said this week the goal is to have all 30,000 soldiers in place by the end of next summer. --SPA
