Equipment a concern in Afghanistan

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan —- U.S. troops are being rushed to Afghanistan without the equipment they need to fight an emboldened Taliban, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and military officials said Thursday.

The equipment delay is “a considerable concern,” Gates said as he toured a base in south Afghanistan, where some 200 Marines and sailors arrive each day in a 21,000-troop buildup.

Southern Afghanistan is part of an expansion Obama ordered to reverse a war his commanders say they are not winning.

Pentagon officials said the small, initial Marine units are to be followed by much larger waves of forces. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to describe troop movements.

“I heard this on several occasions today, that the equipment is coming in behind the troops and is not here and available for them when they arrive,” Gates said. He promised to pursue the problem after he returns to Washington on Saturday.

Gates said casualties among American, Afghanistan and other international forces are up 75 percent since 2009 began.