国际英语资讯:Obama Slows US Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan_时事

国际英语资讯:Obama Slows US Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan

The U.S. troops in Afghanistan will be stationed at a small number of bases, including Bagram, Kandahar in the south, and Jalalabad in the east.

The administration had originally planned to keep only about 1,000 U.S. forces post-2016, with a focus on protecting the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

Kunduz is game-changer

"I think what happened in Kunduz is instructive. You had a situation where Afghan troops retook the city of Kunduz from the Taliban, but only with the assistance of U.S. forces," analyst Michael Kugelman told VOA.

"I don’t think there would have been a happy ending in this takeover or this retaking of Kunduz if it weren’t for U.S. support," said Kugelman, who is senior associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.

In addition, "pressure from Pakistan has resulted in more al-Qaida coming into Afghanistan, and we have seen the emergence of an ISIL presence," the U.S. president said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.

"In key areas of the country, the security situation is still very fragile. In some places there is risk of deterioration," he added.

Obama maintained the goal in Afghanistan will not change, after the United States ended its combat role in the war torn-country late last year. He said remaining U.S. troops will continue to train Afghans and focus on counter-terrorism.

“While America’s combat mission may be over, our commitment to Afghanistan and its people endures,” Obama said. “As commander in chief, I will not allow Afghanistan to be used as a safe haven for terrorists to attack our nation again.”