U.S. Marines to stay longer in southern Afghanistan

By Andrew Gray

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some 2,200 U.S. Marines battling insurgents in southern Afghanistan have had their tour of duty extended by 30 days, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

The move comes amid U.S. concern about rising violence in Afghanistan from Taliban Islamist militants and other groups. The Marines' departure date was shifted from October into November, officials said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates made the decision at the request of Army Gen. David McKiernan, commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

"The commanders are trying to milk the summer fighting season until the bitter end and trying to cement the significant gains the Marines have made in the south," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said.

The Marines belong to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which deployed earlier this year to boost NATO forces in southern Afghanistan, the scene of some of the worst insurgent violence.

June was the deadliest month for foreign forces in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 ended the Taliban's rule, with 42 troops killed in combat, according to a Reuters tally.

President George W. Bush acknowledged on Wednesday that June had been a "tough month" in Afghanistan.

Also on Wednesday, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff said he was "deeply troubled" by the violence.