A U.S. soldier directs his colleague at the site a bomb attack that targeted several armored vehicles belonging to forces attached to the NATO Resolute Support Mission, in downtown of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015.(Photo: Massoud Hossaini, AP)
President Obama plans to announce Thursday that the United States will keep 9,800 troops in Afghanistan for most of the next year, and maintain a force of 5,500 in 2017, a policy<span style="color: Red;">*</span>reversal that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>prolongs American involvement in the longest war in its history.
Obama, who had planned to reduce the number of U.S. troops to around 1,000,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>made the decision at the recommendation of his national security team following a months-long review of security challenges in Afghanistan, two senior administration officials said.
The two administration officials discussed the policy on the condition they not be named so as not to pre-empt the president's announcement<span style="color: Red;">*</span>later Thursday. One said the remaining troops will hew the troops' current mission of counter-terrorism activities and training and advising Afghan security forces. They will not engage in ground combat, the official said.
The president will make the announcement at 11 a.m. ET, said an update to the White House schedule.
Obama had originally planned to leave no more than 1,000 troops in Afghanistan -- mostly for embassy protection and other security responsibilities -- by the end of his presidency in January of 2017.
In his announcement, Obama will say he has decided to maintain 9,800 troops for most of next year. After 2016, there will be 5,500 troops stationed at a number of small bases, including at Bagram, Jalalabad in the east, and Kandahar in the south.
Obama's change in policy follows<span style="color: Red;">*</span>military successes<span style="color: Red;">*</span>by Taliban insurgents against<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan, including the brief capture of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan. It was the first seizure of a major city by the Taliban since they were ousted from power by U.S. forces in 2001.
The administration has more confidence in keeping more troops in Afghanistan because of good relations with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, a more reliable partner than predecessor Hamid Karzai, officials said.
Officials have been hinting at the new policy for weeks.
"The narrative that we're leaving Afghanistan is self-defeating," Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Wednesday during a speech at the Association of the U.S. Army. "We're not, we can't and to do so would not be to take advantage of the success we've had to date."
The president who inherited wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq when he took office in 2009 did withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq in late 2011. But the American military is now providing renewed assistance in that country after the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and neighboring Syria.
Obama announced his initial plan -- to maintain only a small security force in Afghanistan -- back in the spring, but acknowledged there would be challenges.
"Americans have learned that it's harder to end wars than it is to begin them," the president said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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