KABUL, Sept. 27 (Xinhua)-- The visiting U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said Wednesday that the exact number of additional U.S. troops to be deployed in Afghanistan was not still clear.
"Afghan security forces continue to take the lead but we are going to give them more advantages," Mattis responded to a query when asked to comment on the number of U.S. troops expected to arrive in Afghanistan.
At the moment, according to media reports, there are 11,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Pentagon, reportedly would send some 3,500 additional forces to the militancy-battered country.
Mattis who attended a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, told reporters that he would not reveal the "exact number of additional troops to the enemy."
Nevertheless, the Pentagon chief added that the Afghan security forces would take the lead in the fight against Taliban and other insurgents.
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