9,800 US troops to remain in Afghanistan after 2014
The US President Barack Obama announced that he will leave 9,800 US troops in Afghanistan through much of 2015 and refrained from ending America’s longest war until at least his final year in office.
The positioning of residual forces in Afghanistan engages the US in a conflict that has lasted longer than any other US war and which many consider related to long-term US strategic interests.
As per the plan, the US troops would no longer conduct direct combat missions, as it has for the past 13 years, with the exception of supporting counter-terrorism operations against remnants of al-Qaida. US special operations forces are almost certain to remain in the country for that purpose. Apart from the counter-terrorism mission, the US will continue training the Afghan armed forces they have supported for years.
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Month: Current Affairs - May, 2014
Category: International / World Current Affairs