Obama said Wednesday that the “security situation in Afghanistan remains precarious” and he has chose to leave 8,400 troops in the war-torn country through the end of his presidency.
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USA troops have already remained in Afghanistan at the current level far longer than Obama said they would. Now there are 9,800 troops supporting the Afghanistan government in its fight against the Taliban, attempts by al Qaeda to regroup and a nascent threat from ISIS.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed the decision, saying it showed “continued partnership between our nations to pursue our common interests”.
Mr. Obama said the decision, which will reduce the US force from the current 9,800 troops, won’t alter the soldiers’ narrow missions of training and advising Afghan security forces, and waging counterterrorism operations.
The president’s announcement to slow the withdrawal to 8,400 troops for the remainder of his term was a compromise from the current level of 9,800, but higher than the 5,500 US troop level once imagined by the end of this year.
“That said, when the president himself describes the security situation in Afghanistan as ‘precarious, ‘ it is hard to discern any strategic rationale for withdrawing 1,400 USA troops by the end of the year”, McCain added.
Although Obama announced an end to the USA combat mission in Afghanistan in December 2014, the statement appeared largely ceremonial as troops were still authorized to conduct unsafe counterterrorism missions.
Now around 9,800 United States troops are in Afghanistan, reportedly training Afghan forces to battle militant groups such Daesh and the Taliban.
She criticized the “war’s $741 billion price tag”, adding in her statement, “In 2001, I opposed the authorization for this war because it allowed any President to wage endless war without the Congressional oversight mandated by the Constitution”.
The numbers reflect a compromise between Obama’s original plan and what many military commanders had urged.
He meanwhile refused steadfastly to send combat groups to Iraq and Syria as a terror spin-off of al Qaeda waged a new war in the Middle East.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, said cutting the troop levels at all “places increased risk on the mission”.
They have suffered a devastating string of setbacks at the hands of the Taliban, including the temporary loss of the city of Kunduz, and more than 5,000 Afghan troops were killed past year alone.
“NATO absolutely can not extend its mission without US forces present”, Roggio told TheDCNF.
“Even as we remain relentless against those who threaten us, we are no longer engaged in a major ground war in Afghanistan”.
Obama spoke ahead of a forthcoming North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit in Poland where alliance members are expected to confirm their support for the Kabul government.
His decision fixes the number of troops who will remain in Afghanistan through the end of his presidency.
ABC News takes a closer look at what will happen to a war America has fought for 14 years. “There is a much more effective Afghan security force, both in terms of law enforcement and military, that are doing a better job of securing the country”, Earnest said. ‘Nevertheless, the security situation in Afghanistan remains precarious’.
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Sen. John McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Mr. Obama’s announcement is preferable to cutting the troop level by almost half. Obama said the US has helped push Al-Qaeda out of its mainstay locations in the country and “helped the Afghan people topple the Taliban”. The rise of ISIS and a sectarian meltdown in Iraq ever since has forced Obama to send hundreds of USA troops back to the country to support Iraqi forces.
