Ghani welcomes United States decision to keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan

President Barack Obama announced the number of troops he plans to leave in Afghanistan when he leaves office.

Now around 9,800 US troops are in Afghanistan, reportedly training Afghan forces to battle militant groups such Daesh and the Taliban.

The president announced Wednesday that he will leave 8,400 USA troops in Afghanistan into 2017, rather than cut the force to 5,500 at the end of the year as initially planned. But a Taliban resurgence and the Afghan military’s continuing struggles have led Washington to rethink its exit strategy.

On Wednesday President Obama announced that the troops in Afghanistan not only will remain, but their levels have been raised from their planned draw-down.

Addressing a press conference at the White House in Washington, he said the decision has been taken in view of precarious security situation in Afghanistan. Pegging the number at 8,400 troops will allow the United States “to continue to provide tailored support to help Afghan forces continue to improve”, the president said.

Ultimately, it will be up to the next president to decide the level of US involvement.

The current number of United States troops in Afghanistan is about 1,400 who are joined by 41 allies and partners, a coalition that contributes more than 6,000 troops its own.

The president said the US mission would remain narrowly focused on “training and advising” Afghan forces and supporting counterterrorism operations against the remnants of al-Qaida, the group that attacked the USA on September 11.

Though Obama touted progress in Afghanistan, including better-trained security forces, the situation remains perilous, with Afghan battlefield deaths rising and civilian casualties hitting a record high. He said his decision would give his successor a “solid foundation” to ensure stability in the region. He said he was committed not to allow any group to use Afghanistan “as a safe haven for terrorists to attack our nation again”. Obama pointed out that 38 Americans had died in just the past 18 months.

“In January, the next US president will assume the most solemn responsibility of the commander in chief, security of the United States and the safety of the American people”. Last week, more than 30 Afghans were killed when two suicide bombers attacked a convoy of buses carrying newly graduated police officers who were traveling to Kabul from a training center in neighboring Wardak province. In 2014, while announcing an end to USA combat mission in the country, Obama had pledged to draw down all but roughly 1,000 military personnel working at the US embassy in Kabul by the end of 2015.

At the peak, in 2010, US troop levels surged to 100,000, fighting alongside forces from USA -allied countries.

Last month, Mr. Obama gave US forces broader latitude to assist Afghan forces, including through greater use of air power.

Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, welcomed the decision to slow troop withdrawals, though he questioned whether the number of USA forces should be reduced at all.

Obama did not mention Iraq during his remarks, but many observers will see his decision as heavily influenced by events that unfolded in the Middle Eastern nation since his decision to bring all USA troops home.

Yet some Democrats, frustrated by the inability to fully end the war, said they were disappointed – for the opposite reason.

The announcement comes amid a marked surge in violence across the country.

The tone of that comment contrasted with the President’s repeated vows to end the Afghan war, including a declaration in December 2014 at the end of US combat operations that “the longest war in American history is coming to a responsible conclusion”. The alliance is expected to approve an extension of its mission and funding for Afghan security forces during the meeting later this week.

“In consultation with President [Ashraf] Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah and the Afghan government, we and our North Atlantic Treaty Organisation partners remain determined to help the people of Afghanistan secure a more peaceful future”.

The Taliban remains a threat, the president said, and in some areas they have actually gained ground against government forces. “I will say it again – the only way to end this conflict and to achieve a full drawdown of foreign forces from Afghanistan is through a lasting political settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban”.