US to slow Afghan withdrawal, keep current 9,800 troops to year end

The United States will slow its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and keep its current 9,800-strong force there until the end of the year, but still end the mission as planned in 2016, President Barack Obama said Tuesday. At a joint White House news conference with his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani, Obama said Kabul had asked Washington to allow for more flexibility in its planned withdrawal. "The specific trajectory of the 2016 US troop drawdown will be established later in 2015 to enabl