Deviating from a full withdrawal plan, the United States will keep thousands of troops in the war-torn country through the 2017 when President Barack Obama's tenure ends, unnamed officials said Thursday.
Obama will announce the decision later in the day, further prolonging the U.S. presence in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
Senior White House officials said the current 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan will remain in place through most of 2016 as part of the administration’s new plans. By the end of 2017, the number would drop to 5,500.
"The Afghan government is very comfortable with this commitment. They've been indicating a desire for this commitment for some time," one official said.
RELATED: 14 Years of US-Led Death and Destruction in Afghanistan
The decision means abandoning the original plan that by the end of 2016 all troops were to be pulled from the country, while leaving a small embassy-based U.S. military presence by the end of next year. Withdrawing from Afghanistan and Iraq was one of Obama's promises during his two presidential campaigns. Many argue that he did not follow through on those promises.
The cost of keeping 5,500 troops in the country is an estimated US$14.6 billion per year, up from the predicted US$10 billion to keep a consolidated force at the US embassy, an official said.
The decision comes as the Afghan government is battling a renewed insurgency by the extremist Taliban group, which was ousted by the U.S. invasion 14 years ago. The Taliban briefly took over the northern city of Kunduz, the group's first major offensive since its ouster.
Kunduz was the city where the U.S. conducted an airstrike at a hospital run by Doctor Without Borders, killing more than 22 civilians.
RELATED: The Kunduz Hospital Bombing
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