WASHINGTON (AP) – The Obama administration is suggesting it could reconsider its plan to remove nearly all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2016 as part of an effort to ensure that the Afghans can maintain security in their country.
Jeff Eggers of the White House’s National Security Council said Friday the U.S. still intends to pursue its withdrawal strategy, which calls for a U.S. security cooperation office in Kabul beyond 2016 of about 1,000 U.S. troops, but no major troop presence.
But Eggers left open the possibility that could change, saying the post-2016 plan will be considered on an ongoing basis.
President Barack Obama is meeting next week with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and is expected to announce plans to slow down the pace of troop withdrawals between now and the end of 2016.
“The question of the post-2016 plan will, of course, flow from that, and it’s fair to say that will need to be considered in the same way given the intent to maintain this ongoing dialogue with President Ghani and his team,” Eggers said.