August 30, 2017•Update: August 31, 2017
By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON
Pentagon officials confirmed Wednesday the U.S. had been undercounting its force levels in Afghanistan.
Joint Staff Director Lt. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. and Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said there are 11,000 troops in Afghanistan, a figure that is 2,600 higher than previous acknowledgements.
The officials declined to give a similar assessment for Iraq and Syriaa where there are thousands more troops than publicly acknowledged, but White said the Pentagon is reviewing its public accounting.
"Each operational theater is different, and we have to consider different concerns," she told reporters.
McKenzie said the numbers for Iraq and Syria will be released soon.
The Afghanistan figure is higher in part due to the Pentagon's decision to count service members in the country on a temporary basis. The group was previously omitted by the past administration.
The announcement comes as the U.S. military reportedly prepares to send about 3,900 additional troops to the war-torn country in line with President Donald Trump's new policy.
No new troops have been deployed to the country, however, McKenzie said.
