Still, he said, “the decision to retain 8 400 USA troops in Afghanistan into next year is certainly preferable to cutting those forces by almost half”. And it will allow the US military to expand its work with Afghan forces as they face a resurgent Taliban and a troubling presence of Islamic State fighters in the country. “We can’t forget what’s at stake in Afghanistan”.
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Obama made the decision after consulting with the new USA commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. John Nicholson; his national security team; Congress and allies.
U.S President Barack Obama has announced plans to maintain about 8,400 USA troops in Afghanistan into next year.
The president said the decision was based on a recommendation from U.S. General John Nicholson, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford.
“To their credit – and in the face of a continued Taliban insurgency and terrorist networks – Afghan forces remain in control of all the major population centers, provincial capitals, major transit routes and most district centers”, Obama said during a press briefing at the White House.
There are 9,800 USA troops now in Afghanistan and the initial plan was to leave 5,500 there through the end of the year.
Republicans have blasted President Obama’s decision to withdraw 1,400 USA forces from Afghanistan by the end of his administration, but a US military official said those troops can do their jobs from other places.
“We took a look at the dynamic security environment in Afghanistan, we took a look at the Afghan national security forces’ capabilities and where they were, and we also looked at in the short term their performance over the last two fighting seasons”, the official said.
“Unless emergency conditions require consideration of a modest increase, we would strongly favour a freeze at the level of roughly 10,000 United States troops through January 30”, they wrote in a June 1 letter. Some Pentagon officials criticized Obama’s move, saying it does nothing to address a deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. “You have now been waging war against the Afghan people for many years”.
The decision appears to reflect successful lobbying by United States military commanders to maintain forces as close to the current level as possible.
At the height of the U.S. combat mission, there were an estimated 100,000 troops in Afghanistan.
US troops in Afghanistan are now tasked with a dual mission to support local troops and hunt down al-Qaida and other militants. In October, he announced he would leave 5,500 troops in Afghanistan at the end of his presidency. Afghan security forces continue to grow stronger.
Progress in stabilizing Afghanistan has been undermined by the resurgence of the Taliban, which were removed from power in the 2001 US -led invasion but have lately stepped up their deadly attacks.
The announcement comes ahead of a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit in Warsaw on Friday and is a bid to demonstrate US leadership of the alliance’s mission in Afghanistan, US officials said.
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The administration’s decision to assassinate the head of the Taliban, carry out the attack on Pakistani soil, and then announce it publicly suggested a new phase in the counterterrorism campaign. But he added, “We have to deal with the realities of the world as they exist”.
