Citing unnamed US officers and defense officials, the paper said General David Petraeus, commander of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, approved the deployment last month.

"The deployment of a company of M1 Abrams tanks, which will be fielded by the Marines in the country's southwest, will allow ground forces to target insurgents from a greater distance -- and with more of a lethal punch -- than is possible from any other US military vehicle," the Post said.

The initial deployment calls for 16 tanks to be used in parts of Helmand province, where fighting rages between Marines and Taliban guerrillas, the paper said.

It said Canadian and Danish troops have used a small number of tanks in southern Afghanistan.

Reuters