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| A US Soldier on patrol walks through an Afghan Poppy Field |
By Franz-Stefan Gady
The new White House plan will keep 9,800 American troops in the country until the end of 2016 or early 2017.
President Barrack Obama announced Thursday that he will momentarily halt the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
“While America’s combat mission in Afghanistan may be over, our commitment to Afghanistan and and its people endures,” Obama said during a press conference held at the White House. “As commander in chief, I will not allow Afghanistan to be used as a safe haven for terrorists to attack our nation again.”
Under the new plan the current number of troops–9,800–in country will remain unchanged until the end of 2016 or early 2017. After that, the U.S. military presence will drop to 5,500 located in Kabul and military bases in Bagram, Jalalabad, and Kandahar.
This is the second time that the White House has delayed a force reduction in Afghanistan this year. The original plan called for 5,500 U.S. troops to remain in country until the end of 2015 leaving a much reduced “embassy-only” presence of 1,100 American servicemen and women in Afghanistan in 2016.
The new plan will keep Bagram Air Field to the north of Kabul, Kandahar in the south, and Jalalabad in the east open. The three bases are crucial for close-air support missions, ongoing counter-terrorism operations, and drone strikes operated by the CIA against militants.
Read the full story at The Diplomat