Obama puts drawdown of US troops in Afghanistan on hold

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The Hill:

President Obama on Tuesday announced the U.S. will delay the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan to help Kabul fight the Taliban, ISIS and other extremist forces.

 

About 9,800 American troops will remain in the country through 2015, almost double the number initially planned. Obama said he remains committed to reducing the U.S. troop presence to a small number based in the capital of Kabul by the end of next year.

 

“This visit is an opportunity to begin a new chapter between our two nations,” Obama said at a news conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani after meeting with him in the Oval Office.

“We agreed to continue to keep in place our close security cooperation,” he added. “Afghanistan remains a very dangerous place.”

The pace of troop reductions in 2016 will be determined later this year, the White House said in a statement.

Obama held a whirlwind day of meetings at the White House with Ghani; Vice President Biden and Afghan chief executive Abdullah Abdullah participated in some discussions as well.

The decision came as the Obama administration grapples with how to handle the final drawdown of troops from Afghanistan and conclude the longest war in U.S. history.