U.S to maintain 8,400 troops in Afghanistan into 2017

U.S President Barack Obama has announced plans to maintain about 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan into next year.

The administration had initially planned to reduce the number of U.S. troops from the current 9,800 to around 5,500 by the end of 2016. But Obama said Wednesday that the security situation in Afghanistan “remains precarious” and so he is leaving more troops than originally planned through the end of his administration.

“The Taliban remains a threat. They’ve gained ground in some cases, they’ve continued attacks and suicide bombings including in Kabul,” Obama said. “Because the Taliban deliberately target civilians more Afghan men, women and children are dying and often overlooked in the global refugee crisis.”

U.S. troops in Afghanistan have been working on two missions.   Those missions include advising and assisting Afghan troops as they battle the Taliban and combating al-Qaida-linked extremists and efforts by Islamic State to establish a foothold in the country.

“Even as they improve, Afghanistan security forces are still not as strong as they need to be,” said the president.

Obama said he made the decision to leave more troops in Afghanistan after reviewing the recommendations by his new U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Army General John Nicholson, and on the advice of Defense Secretary Ash Carter and other military and intelligence officials.

The president said he will press for more coalition support in Afghanistan during a NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland later this week.

Obama said leaving more troops in Afghanistan when he leaves office will also give the next U.S. president more flexibility to make decisions about how to best move forward on the long-running conflict.

Obama said the troop level decision sends a message to the Taliban that U.S. and the international community’s “commitment to Afghanistan will endure.”