In his remarks from the White House Thursday, Obama said that while Afghan forces have made progress, the security situation in the country remains fragile. But military leaders have argued for months that the Afghans need additional help to beat back a resurgent Taliban.
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President Obama is scrapping a big goal of his presidency-to leave office with only a token force of troops in Afghanistan.
The decision ensures Obama will hand the conflict, begun by his predecessor President George W. Bush, to his successor.
Senior administration officials said the US forces will be stationed at four bases, in Kabul, Bagram, Jalalabad and Kandahar.ý Their mission will be focused on counter-terrorism threats, including those from al Qaeda and ISIS, as well as the train, advise and assist program for Afghan security forces who continue to fight the Taliban.
“[President Obama] and his military commanders concluded a more robust US force was needed”.
Afghan forces have been battling to retake the northern city of Kunduz from the Taliban since September 28, but the US officials denied that the recent surge of violence drove Obama’s decision, saying the plan has been under consideration for months. The war was discussed only briefly in two Republican debates. He didn’t give any numbers, but before he before he stepped down as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff last month, Gen. Martin Dempsey had proposed that the United States keep more than 5,000 troops in Afghanistan. “They’ve been indicating a desire for this commitment for a few time”, one official said. They have noted that conditions in the country have changed since his initial decision on a sharper troop withdrawal timeline more than two years ago.
Several factors were considered as the president’s advisers crafted a plan, including cost implications and an analysis of risks to both the missions and the force.
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Staying in Afghanistan will cost Washington US$14 billion as it keeps 9,800 troops and deviates from the original full withdrawal plan. Obama will be out of office by the time troops are set to be drawn down again.
