WASHINGTON (AP) – The Pentagon has sent a second aircraft carrier to support the troop buildup in Afghanistan.

The Navy says the USS Abraham Lincoln and the guided missile cruiser USS Cape St. George arrived in the region over the weekend. The Lincoln brings an airwing that can send an additional 60 aircraft into the war — adding to aircraft already there and flying from the carrier the USS Harry S. Truman.
A statement from the 5th Fleet in Bahrain says Defense Secretary Robert Gates approved the sending of the second carrier to help coalition forces in Afghanistan and support maritime security operations.
The fleet's area of responsibility includes the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea and areas off of the Horn of Africa where a number of nations cooperate on anti-piracy operations.
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