By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON

The U.S. is deploying a contingent of 148 soldiers to Afghanistan in a move that will boost its military presence in the country.

The soldiers are members of the 42nd Clearance Company at Fort Knox, an army base in Kentucky.

According to media reports, a ceremony was held Wednesday for the soldiers, who will be leaving in a few weeks for their mission.

They are scheduled to return in August of next year.

The U.S. has been fighting in Afghanistan since it invaded in 2001, shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks of that year.

The war in Afghanistan is the U.S.'s longest-running conflict.

About 14,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan.