U.S. troop reinforcements head for embattled southern Afghan province

Hundreds more U.S. troops are headed for Afghanistan’s strife-torn Helmand province to shore up security forces who have struggled in the face of sustained Taliban attacks, officials said.

The core of the new force will provide more security and act as advisers to the Afghan army's 215th Corps, U.S. Army spokesman Col. Michael Lawhorn said in a statement.

Security forces in the southern province have been plagued by high desertion and casualty rates, corruption, and leadership problems, and the army corps recently saw more than 90 general officers replaced in a major shakeup.

"This was a planned deployment of additional personnel to both bolster force protection for the current staff of advisers and to provide additional advisers to help with ongoing efforts to re-man, re-equip, and re-train the 215th Corps," he said. - Read More at the reuters

U.S. troop reinforcements head for embattled southern Afghan province