PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA VISITS AFGHANASTAN [2014]

Obama's surprise trip came as the U.S. and NATO withdraw most of their forces ahead of a year-end deadline. Obama is seeking to keep a small number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014 to train Afghan security forces and conduct counterterrorism missions. But that plan is contingent on Karzai's successor signing a bilateral security agreement that Karzai has refused to authorize.
Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, said the president had not finalized the troop decision and no announcement was expected during the Afghanistan visit. But Rhodes indicated it was possible Obama could announce his decision during a foreign policy speech Wednesday at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.
At least 2,181 members of the U.S. military have died during the nearly 13-year Afghan war and thousands more have been wounded. There are still about 32,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, down from a high of 100,000 in mid-2010, when as Obama sent in additional soldiers to quell escalating violence.
 
via. AOL.com

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