Obama, who came into office promising to end the wars started by his predecessor, has already changed his timetable for removing troops from Afghanistan several times in an indication of the Taliban’s continued strength and the weaknesses of local security forces.
Speaking at the White House alongside Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, Obama listed a series of accomplishments that the smaller U.S. force, together with local forces, had made. But his announcement also acknowledged the need for continued hands-on support to the Afghan army and police.
There are now about 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, tasked with a dual mission to support local forces and hunt down al-Qaeda and other militants. While Obama had originally hoped to leave nothing more than a normal embassy presence at the end of his second term in 2017, he had already altered that timeline and, up until the announcement Wednesday, the White House had planned to whittle the current force to 5,500 by early next year.
The announcement comes several days before Obama attends a NATO summit in Poland, where leaders from across Europe will focus in part on the remaining challenges in Afghanistan.
The president has also given commanders there new powers to combat the Taliban and other militant groups, which have proved to be resilient adversaries.
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