More Marines are on their way to the theater of operations in Afghanistan:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will add nearly 2,000 Marines with special operations training to the 11,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan to boost security and intensify the hunt for al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives, defense officials said on Thursday.

It appears as if the troops are being sent in to prepare for both Afghanistan elections as well as for what could be another offensive against al Qaeda and Taliban. From today's Pentagon briefing, Gen. Richard Myers said:

A couple of events happening in Afghanistan that we want to ensure there's appropriate security for -- as you know, they're going to elections sometime this summer, perhaps late summer. The date I think is still being negotiated between the U.N. and the Afghan population, international community. And we want to make sure that that event goes well. There are still pockets of Taliban and al Qaeda that need to be dealt with. And that's what you're seeing. And I'll get you -- we'll get you the exact numbers.

Q But as far as the members of the 22nd MEU, this is not just a rotation. They are being added to the force for security in the hunt and whatever.

GEN. MYERS: Right. And I said -- as I said earlier, in the first part of that statement, that numbers -- the numbers do go up and down. If you check over time they have gone up and they have gone down, and they'll probably continue to do that as the situation on the ground dictates.

The special operations forces, and now the new contingent of Marines, would appear to be two tips on two separate spears. Two thousand new Marines might be a conservative number.