Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Obama OKs Easing US Afghan Troop Withdrawal; Will Retain 9800 Troops There Until End of 2015

President Obama today (March 24, 2015) met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and agreed to keep about 9,800 troops in the country through the end of this year, slowing the planned American withdrawal, according to the Washington Post website.

But Obama said that he would stick to the current plan to close the remaining American bases and consolidate U.S. forces in Kabul by the end of 2016, effectively ending the longest war in U.S. history.

"Afghanistan is still a dangerous place," but the only way for it to become less dangerous is for Afghan security forces and police to provide security in the country, Obama said.

For Ghani, the visit to Washington was a chance to show how much has changed in the U.S.-Afghan relationship in the months since he took over the presidency. Relations between Ghani's predecessor, Hamid Karzai, and the U.S. government had been steadily deteriorating for years.

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