Obama Expanding Afghan Force

Here comes Obama’s big Afghanistan announcement: The president is sending about 17,000 more troops to join the war effort in the next few months, Politico’s Mike Allen reports. One additional Army brigade and another Marine brigade will be ordered into combat, along with support troops, White House officials told Allen. Commanders want the troops in place as soon as the weather improves—by the start of the traditional fighting season—to improve security in the runup to the country’s August elections. And though Obama made shifting the focus to the war in Afghanistan from Iraq a campaign plank, none of the new troops are expected to be drawn down from Iraq.