U.S. expanded its military presence in Afghanistan

Almaty. November 17. Silkroadnews – There around 14,000 U.S. troops staying in Afghanistan at present, Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Armed Forces, said at the briefing on Thursday, the Afghan Telegraph Agency (AfTAG) reports.
According to Gen. McKenzie, the U.S. used to work with around 11,000 troops in Afghanistan. With completed forces reallocation, the new number of troops in Afghanistan now stands at around 14,000, depending on the mission.
McKenzie also confirmed 503 U.S. troops operate in Syria and 526 - in Iraq. “These are the numbers we are working with today,” TASS quotes him saying.
The United States launched a military operation in Afghanistan in October 2001 to rid the country of al-Qaeda terrorist group which assumed responsibility for terrorist attacks of September 11. After 10 years, the number of American troops there has increased to 101 thousand people. During this campaign, more than 2.3 thousand American servicemen were killed, over 17 thousand were injured.
It is worth noting during 10 year of war in Afghanistan (1979-1989) more than 15,000 soldiers of the Soviet Union were killed.