Senior officials in President Donald Trump's administration and the U.S. military are recommending sending at least 3,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan to fight Taliban militants, U.S. media report.
The extra troops would allow U.S. advisers to work with a greater number of Afghan forces, and closer to the front lines, The New York Times cited officials as saying in a report on May 8.
Other NATO members would also be asked to send matching troops, according to The Washington Post.
There are 13,000 NATO troops currently in the country, including about 8,400 Americans.
The recommendation has yet to be approved by Trump, who the reports said is expected to make a decision before a May 25 NATO summit.
In February, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, told Congress there was "a shortfall of a few thousand" troops and that more personnel would enable the U.S. military to advise the Afghan army more effectively.
U.S.-led forces drove the Taliban from power after invading following the attacks carried out in the United States on September 11, 2001 by Al-Qaeda, whose leaders were harbored by the militant group in Afghanistan.
But the Taliban has been resurgent in recent years and controls large portions of the country.
U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan officially ended in 2014, but special forces have continued to provide support to Afghan forces.
Based on reporting by The New York Times and The Washington Post