[Aljazeera] President Barack Obama will announce Thursday a reversal of policy in Afghanistan, slowing plans to draw down U.S. troops and instead maintain a force of 9,800 through most of 2016, senior administration officials said.Can't have it all go to kak on his watch. Leave it for the next poor bastid.
His decision prolongs the U.S. role in that country's 14-year-old war and ensures he hands the conflict over to the next U.S. president, due to be elected in November 2016 and to take office in January 2017.
Obama had aimed to withdraw all but a small U.S.-embassy based force at Kabul before leaving office. Under the new plan, troops will be drawn down to 5,500 starting sometime in 2017 and based at four locations -- Kabul, Bagram, Jalalabad and Kandahar. The decision follows months of deliberations between Obama, Afghanistan's leaders, Pentagon officials, field commanders and White House advisers about how best to support Afghan forces, senior administration officials said.
"Those have been broad discussions, deep discussions, ones that have included the president's personal engagement and a number of very detailed questions from the president about our posture," an official said.
The U.S. troops will go on training and advising Afghan forces, and also will focus on ensuring that any remnants of Al-Qaeda are prevented from posing a threat to U.S. security, the officials said.
"Our mission won't change," an official said.
