BREAKING NEWS

Mattis signs orders to send additional troops to Afghanistan

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Thursday he had signed deployment orders to send additional troops to Afghanistan in line with President Donald Trump's South Asia strategy.

"Yes, I have signed orders but it is not complete. In other words I have signed some of the (orders for) troops that will go and we are identifying the specific ones," Mattis told reporters.

"By and large this is to enable the Afghan force to fight more effectively. It is more advisers, it is more enablers, fire support, for example," Mattis said.