First batch of extra U.S. troops in east Afghanistan

KABUL Jan 27 (Reuters) - The first deployment of a planned United States surge of up to 30,000 troops, has moved into bases in two key provinces of east Afghanistan, officials said on Tuesday.

The U.S. has pledged between 20,000 and 30,000 additional troops for Afghanistan, where violence has increased markedly since Taliban-led insurgents regrouped in 2005.

The first batch, from the 3rd Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division, have settled in Logar and Wardak provinces neighbouring Kabul. They are reinforcing an existing deployment of the 101st Airborne, "the Screaming Eagles".

"The brigade is the first element of its size to deploy exclusively into these two provinces, increasing the U.S. presence there by thousands," U.S. forces said in a statement.

A typical U.S. brigade consists of around 3,500 soldiers.

U.S. forces said key members of the brigade, who started to arrive in late November 2008, have met with community leaders in Logar and Wardak as part of a wider strategy to engage with local systems of governance.

President Barack Obama, who has pledged to make Afghanistan the cornerstone of his foreign policy, is expected to approve the remaining troop increase, which has been in the pipeline since last year. (Reporting by Golnar Motevalli; Editing by David Fox) ((Kabul newsroom: +93 708 871 211))