US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday that the number of US troops to be deployed in Haiti will be "in the hundreds" to help restore stability and order there.

The United States and other international forces would soon shift their focus from combat to police functions in the Caribbeannation, which has been ravaged by violence for months, Powell saidin an interview with NBC television's "Today" program.

He said the US military presence in Haiti after the resignationand departure of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide wouldn't be "very large."

"It's in the hundreds, maybe a little more than a thousand or so," said Powell, who declined to say how long the US troops wouldstay.

The US troops will be joined by forces from a number of nations that have already indicated they want to make a contribution, he added.

In an interview with CBS's "Early Show," Powell said the US troops are there to stabilize the situation, as "our troops and the other international troops coming in will help to stabilize things."

"I don't think there'll be a great deal of fighting," he said.

US President George W. Bush ordered the deployment of US Marines on Sunday, to be the "leading element of an interim international force" to provide stability in the country.

The first batch of several hundred US Marines arrived in Port-Au-Prince, the Haitian capital, Sunday night. The deployment was made at the request of the new president of Haiti and more would arrive this week, the Pentagon said in a statement on Sunday.

Aristide fled his country after the US government, which had supported him years ago by sending US troops to help him back to office, effectively withdrew its backing on Saturday, saying the Haitian leader was responsible for the crisis in his country.