President Obama said Wednesday he’ll leave about 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan at the end of this year, more than he had planned, but a reduction of the current force of about 9,800.
“The security situation in Afghanistan remains precarious,” Mr. Obama said at the White House. “The Taliban remains a threat. They’ve gained ground in some cases.”
In announcing the “additional adjustment to our posture,” Mr. Obama said Afghan security forces are “still not as strong as they need to be.”
The president had planned to cut the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to 5,500 at the end of this year, after revising in 2015 his plan to withdraw all troops from the country by the end of his presidency.
Two key Republican lawmakers have been urging Mr. Obama not to cut the force level in Afghanistan, saying it would lead to a resurgence of the Taliban and other extremist groups.
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