President Barack Obama said Tuesday that the United States will slow down the withdrawal of troops from war-torn Afghanistan.
The announcement that the U.S. will maintain slightly less than 10,0000 troops in Afghanistan through the end of 2015 came after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani asked Obama to reconsider the troop withdrawal.
‘This flexibility reflects our reinvigorated partnership with Afghanistan, which is aimed at making Afghanistan secure and preventing it from being used to launch terrorist attacks,” Obama said at a news conference. “Reconciliation and a political settlement remain the surest way to achieve the full drawdown of U.S. and foreign troops from Afghanistan in a way that safeguards international interests and peace in Afghanistan, as well as U.S. national security interests.”
Obama’s remarks came after he spent much of the day meeting with Ghani at the White House to discuss both security and economic development issues. It was the first meeting between the two presidents at the White House following the Afghan presidential election last year.
Speaking after Obama, Ghani paid tribute to U.S. service members who made the “ultimate sacrifice” in Afghanistan as well as the U.S. taxpayer who has foot the bill.
“The Americans who have died must not die in vain,” he said.
Obama’s strategy drew rare bipartisan support from Capitol Hill.
U.S. Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Obama made the correct decision.
“I appreciate President Obama’s announcement today that the United States will fulfill President Ghani’s request for maintaining a stronger U.S. counter-terror and security presence in Afghanistan,” Corker said. “It is the right decision in the effort to improve stability in the region and should signal a continued flexibility based upon circumstances on the ground.”
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said Obama’s decision will help build stability in Afghanistan.
“We cannot afford to see Afghanistan spiral back into lawlessness and re-emerge as a terrorist safe haven,” he said. “With this modest U.S. troop presence, we can also maintain the intelligence capabilities we need to keep our country safe from plots originating in the region.”
Obama said the U.S. has more than 100,000 troops in Afghanistan at the peak four years ago. He is slowing the drawndown in Afghanistan, but he said he still wants U.S. troops out by the end of 2016.
“Our transition out of a combat role has not changed,” Obama said.
In response to a question, he defended keeping 9,800 troops in Afghanistan months longer, saying it will “help Afghan security forces succeed so we don’t have to go back.”
“Providing additional time frame” in Afghanistan “is well worth it,” he said.
Obama has long said that he planned to reduce U.S. troops in Afghanistan from about 9,800 to about 5,500 by the end of 2015. He wants most troops out of Afghanistan by the time he leaves office in January 2017, except for a presence at the U.S. embassy and facilities.
“We intend to be working with the Afghan people and the Afghanistan government for a long time,” Obama said.
Ghani has said he wants more U.S. troops to stay longer as he bins to build up the Afghan military, though he acknowledged that it was a decision that Obama must make.
“There is much work that lies ahead,” he said.
Ghani met with Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Secretary of State John Kerry at Camp David Monday. He will addresses a joint session of Congress on Wednesday and will meet with other world leaders at the United Nations later in the week.
“We are bound by common interests and will act together to ensure both the safety of United States and the safety of Afghanistan,” Ghani said Monday.