Around 10,000 US troops are likely to stay in Afghanistan after combat soldiers of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) leave the country in 2014, a media report said on Monday.
The Wall Street Journal quoted unnamed Obama administration officials as saying the plan was in accordance with ISAF Commander Gen. John Allen’s recommendations. He has suggested a force between 6,000 and 15,000 US troops.
The force will conduct training and counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan, where about 67,000 US troops are currently deployed, after the NATO mission concludes at the end of 2014.
With final decisions on the size of the American presence and its precise configuration yet to be made, Gen. John Allen may submit a formal recommendation for how quickly to begin pulling out the American soldiers.
George Little, the Pentagon spokesman, says: “The White House has not yet asked Gen. Allen for his assessment, nor have we begun considering any specific recommendations for troop numbers in 2013 and 2014.”
US may keep 10,000 troops in Afghanistan
