President Barack Obama announced Tuesday that the U.S. will not reduce troop numbers in Afghanistan this year. He made the announcement after meeting in Washington with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani.
Mr. Ghani had asked the United States to reconsider its withdrawal plan. About 9,800 American soldiers are in Afghanistan to advise and train Afghan troops.
Mr. Obama had announced plans to cut back the troops numbers to 5,500 by the end of 2015.
Mr. Ghani and Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah also met Monday with other U.S. officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry. Mr. Kerry described the talks as productive."
