President Obama in July announced plans to keep 8,400 U.S. servicemembers in Afghanistan through the end of his term. The president was joined for the announcement by Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The president had planned to draw down the number of American troops in Afghanistan to 5,500 by the end of the year. There are currently 9,800 U.S. troops in the country. The decision means the United States will maintain a presence in Kandahar and Jalalabad. While there has been undeniable progress in Afghanistan, the president said, the country needs more time to develop governmental, military and economic capabilities. The number of American forces will be higher than planned, but the missions will remain the same. Those missions are to train and advise Afghan forces and to support counterterrorism efforts aimed at the remnants of al-Qaida and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which is trying to gain a foothold in the country.
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