Obama rethinking about pulling US troops out of Afghanistan, say officials

Senior officials in Washington have said that due to the recent advances made by the Taliban in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama is having a rethink about withdrawing American troops from that country.

According to the Washington Times, the recent rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan has convinced many at the Pentagon and in the Congress that it is critical for American troops to remain in Afghanistan.

The recent capture of Kunduz by the Taliban with only a few hundred fighters, raised U.S. concerns. It took over two weeks for Afghanistan troops to recapture the city.

The US is also concerned over the ISIS gaining a grip in the country by recruiting disaffected Taliban.

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There are many options, but the most seriously considered is a proposal made by General Martin Dempsey, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. According to his proposal US should keep 3,000 to 5,000 troops for counter-terrorism missions.

Other options include keeping an over 1000 embassy force to protect American diplomats in Kabul, or to maintain the current force of roughly 9,800 and allow the forces to continue training and advising programmes for the Afghans military.

If steps are taken to reinforce the US troops in Afghanistan, then Obama will abandon his goal to bring home almost all the US troops before leaving office.