Officials quietly announced Saturday that the White House is dropping its plans to reduce troops in Afghanistan to 5,500 by year's end. (Photo: US Army/flickr/cc)
US Quietly Abandons Troop Reduction Plans in Afghanistan
Administration could allow up to 9,800 troops to remain into next year's 'fighting season'
The Obama administration is dropping its plans to reduce the amount of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to 5,500 by the end of the year, significantly altering the timeline which officials had said would see troops largely withdraw from the country by 2016, according to reports.
In fact, officials say, the administration could allow up to 9,800 American troops to remain in Afghanistan well into next year's "fighting season."
The announcement on Saturday came a few weeks after new Defense Secretary Ashton Carter indicated that the White House was "rethinking" its counter-terrorism mission in Afghanistan and would slow down its troop withdrawal from the country, despite long-held promises from Washington to remove the U.S. military presence there.
While no final decisions on numbers of troops have been made yet, Associated Press reports that officials are also discussing "options under which some [troops] would remain in the country or be nearby beyond 2016."
President Barack Obama will likely use an upcoming visit by U.S.-backed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to make an official announcement about the development later this month.
The U.S. and Afghanistan in September signed a controversial Bilateral Security Agreement, which went into effect in January and will last until 2024. As Common Dreams previously reported, the BSA "stipulates long-term U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and access to numerous bases and installations in the country, including facilities located in Bagram, home to the notorious U.S. military prison," without specifying the number of troops to remain in the country.
In February, the United Nations published a report that revealed "credible and reliable" evidence of the U.S. military torturing detainees in Afghanistan.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just days away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
The Obama administration is dropping its plans to reduce the amount of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to 5,500 by the end of the year, significantly altering the timeline which officials had said would see troops largely withdraw from the country by 2016, according to reports.
In fact, officials say, the administration could allow up to 9,800 American troops to remain in Afghanistan well into next year's "fighting season."
The announcement on Saturday came a few weeks after new Defense Secretary Ashton Carter indicated that the White House was "rethinking" its counter-terrorism mission in Afghanistan and would slow down its troop withdrawal from the country, despite long-held promises from Washington to remove the U.S. military presence there.
While no final decisions on numbers of troops have been made yet, Associated Press reports that officials are also discussing "options under which some [troops] would remain in the country or be nearby beyond 2016."
President Barack Obama will likely use an upcoming visit by U.S.-backed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to make an official announcement about the development later this month.
The U.S. and Afghanistan in September signed a controversial Bilateral Security Agreement, which went into effect in January and will last until 2024. As Common Dreams previously reported, the BSA "stipulates long-term U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and access to numerous bases and installations in the country, including facilities located in Bagram, home to the notorious U.S. military prison," without specifying the number of troops to remain in the country.
In February, the United Nations published a report that revealed "credible and reliable" evidence of the U.S. military torturing detainees in Afghanistan.
The Obama administration is dropping its plans to reduce the amount of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to 5,500 by the end of the year, significantly altering the timeline which officials had said would see troops largely withdraw from the country by 2016, according to reports.
In fact, officials say, the administration could allow up to 9,800 American troops to remain in Afghanistan well into next year's "fighting season."
The announcement on Saturday came a few weeks after new Defense Secretary Ashton Carter indicated that the White House was "rethinking" its counter-terrorism mission in Afghanistan and would slow down its troop withdrawal from the country, despite long-held promises from Washington to remove the U.S. military presence there.
While no final decisions on numbers of troops have been made yet, Associated Press reports that officials are also discussing "options under which some [troops] would remain in the country or be nearby beyond 2016."
President Barack Obama will likely use an upcoming visit by U.S.-backed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to make an official announcement about the development later this month.
The U.S. and Afghanistan in September signed a controversial Bilateral Security Agreement, which went into effect in January and will last until 2024. As Common Dreams previously reported, the BSA "stipulates long-term U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and access to numerous bases and installations in the country, including facilities located in Bagram, home to the notorious U.S. military prison," without specifying the number of troops to remain in the country.
In February, the United Nations published a report that revealed "credible and reliable" evidence of the U.S. military torturing detainees in Afghanistan.