‘Obama may not change US troop number in Afghanistan soon’
A US official says President Barack Obama may not change the number of American troops in Afghanistan soon.
The diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Obama may not decide before a NATO summit in Poland next month whether to alter plans to nearly halve American forces in Afghanistan, Reuters reported.
A decision had been expected at or before the summit in Warsaw on July 8-9 on whether to stick to slash the 9,800 troops to 5,500 by the year’s end.
"It does not have to happen by Warsaw, but it certainly will be a topic there," said the unnamed official.
"The size and scope of other nation contributions are a logical consideration in our decision-making."
This is while US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter is slated to go to Brussels on Monday to meet NATO counterparts, with Afghanistan expected to be high on the agenda.
Last week, Obama ordered the US military to take on the Taliban more directly and help Afghan forces battle the militant group.
"US forces will more proactively support Afghan conventional forces," a senior administration official told AFP on Friday.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest, however, told reporters that the decision "does not limit in any way our ability to follow through with the plan to draw down our troops at a level of 5,500 troops by the end of this year."
The US and its allies invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban regime from power, but after about one and a half decade, the foreign troops have still not been able to establish security in the country.
After becoming the president in 2008, Obama vowed to end the Afghan war -- one of the longest conflicts in US history.
In October last year, Obama announced plans to keep 9,800 US troops in Afghanistan through 2016 and 5,500 in 2017, reneging on his promise to end the war there and bring home most American forces from the Asian country before he leaves office.
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