U.S. to halt Afghanistan withdrawal, will keep 5,500 troops there beyond 2016


President Obama announced plans to slow the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, while delivering a statement in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on Thursday.JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS

President Obama announced plans to slow the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, while delivering a statement in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on Thursday.

President Obama said Thursday the U.S. will keep 5,500 troops in Afghanistan after he leaves office in 2017, abandoning plans to end the war on his watch.
“I believe this mission is vital to our national security interests in preventing terrorist attacks against our citizens and our nation,” Obama said at a White House news conference. “I am firmly convinced that we should make this extra effort.”
“This modest but meaningful extension of our presence — while sticking to our current, narrow missions — can make a real difference. It’s the right thing to do,” he added.
Military leaders, who have argued for months that the Afghans needed additional help from the U.S. to beat back a resurgent Taliban and hold onto gains made since the war began in 2001, will now maintain their current force of 9,800 troops through most of 2016, then draw down to 5,500 troops in 2017.
“I do not support the idea of endless war, and I have repeatedly argued against marching into open-ended military conflicts that do not serve our core security interests,” Obama said. But, he added, “the bottom line is, in key areas of the country, the security situation is still very fragile, and in some places there is risk of deterioration.”

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