The US Marines will deploy 300 troops to Afghanistan's embattled southern Helmand province as part of NATO's advise-assist mission.
Task Force Southwest, led by Brig Gen Roger Turner, "will train and advise key leaders within the Afghan National Army 215th Corps and the 505th Zone National Police," a statement published by the corps on Friday read.
Helmand is one of the most embattled provinces in southern Afghanistan, where almost all districts, save for the provincial capital, are either heavily embattled or fully controlled by Taliban militants.
The troops are to assist Afghan security forces in beating back a resilient Taliban insurgency that has taken most of the province by storm after the end of NATO's combat mission and withdrawal of most US forces from the province in 2014.
"The Marine Corps has an operational history in Afghanistan, particularly in Helmand province," the statement noted, adding that the Marines "will assist in preserving gains made together with the Afghans."
The US maintains nearly 10,000 troops in Afghanistan under the NATO's Resolute Support mission.
The future of the mission is unknown given the upcoming change in the US administration.
