Units Headed for Afghanistan

A contingent of 3,700 soldiers from the Fort Drum, N.Y.- based 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, will deploy to Afghanistan in January to assist NATO assets there, the Defense Department announced Sept. 15. The unit, which had returned from an Afghanistan in July 2007, had initially been slated to deploy to Iraq in November. The Pentagon also provided more information about the Marine Corps unit that will head to Afghanistan in November. The contingent will include an air-ground task force of roughly 2,000 Marines from the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, will replace the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, who initially deployed to counter an expected enemy offensive last spring.