Frequently asked questions about the mission in Afghanistan

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/11/25/afghanistan.taliban/story.marine.afghanistan.afp.gi.jpg width=300 height=169]

Mike Mount and Larry Shaughnessy
CNN Pentagon Unit

President Obama is expected to announce Tuesday that he's sending more than 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and discuss the U.S. strategy there.

Here are some frequently asked questions about the U.S. involvement there:

Q: How many troops are in Afghanistan and how many more are going?

A: More than 100,000 U.S. and NATO troops are in Afghanistan, and the president is expected to announce the addition of around 34,000 more U.S. troops to support the war effort. The additional troops will bolster the already 68,000 U.S. troops positioned around the country in the east along the Pakistan border and in the south, where the fighting is the most fierce.

NATO is expected to add around 6,000 additional troops. When they all arrive, the total international force is expected to be almost 150,000, close to the number of U.S. troops in Iraq after the 2007 surge. The first wave of additional U.S. troops is expected to begin deploying to the southern part of the country in Kandahar and Helmand provinces, according to military sources.

Keep Reading...