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PRESIDENT Barack Obama has abandoned his pledge to cut the number of US forces in Afghanistan to 5,500 by the end of 2015, officials admitted yesterday.
While no final decision on numbers has been made, the officials said that the administration was poised to slow withdrawal plans and will probably allow many of the 9,800 US troops there to remain well into next year.
The president has effectively capitulated to military leaders who want to keep more troops there into the 2016 fighting season.
Discussions are ongoing about keeping steady the number of counterterrorism troops throughout this year, including options under which some would remain in the country or nearby beyond 2016.
About 2,000 US troops are currently undertaking “counterterrorism” missions.
The top brass argues that they will need to continue pursuing the remnants of al-Qaeda and monitoring Islamic State (Isis) militants looking to recruit in Afghanistan.
Mr Obama is likely to use a Washington visit by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani later this month to announce his decision on a new withdrawal timeline.
Pentagon leaders, including Defence Secretary Ash Carter, have acknowledged recent discussions about slowing the pace of troop withdrawal, but they are increasingly confident that the military will get its way and keep a robust occupation force in Afghanistan beyond 2015.
Mr Obama had promised to get all troops out of Afghanistan by the end of his presidency and to end the war in Iraq, but he has sent troops back there to assist government forces against Isis.
by Our Foreign Desk
