Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012

FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) -- About 100 Fort Stewart soldiers will deploy overseas this fall in small teams tasked with advising and training local security forces in Afghanistan.

Fort Stewart officials released the approximate number of deploying troops Thursday, a day after the Pentagon said soldiers from the Georgia post and four other Army brigades will deploy later this year as U.S. forces begin shifting to advisory roles in Afghanistan.

An Army spokesman previously said each brigade would deploy less than half its total manpower of up to 4,000 soldiers. The number from Fort Stewart is far smaller.

The deploying soldiers will be officers and senior noncommissioned officers from Fort Stewart's 2nd Brigade Combat Team. They will divide into small teams assisting Afghan forces -- much as U.S. troops did during the drawdown in Iraq.

(Copyright 2012, The Associated Press)