US President Barack Obama will keep 5,500 American troops in Afghanistan when he leaves office in 2017, said senior administration officials.
According to ABC News, Obama had earlier planned to withdraw all American troops except a small, embassy-based U.S. military presence by the end of 2016.
Officials said that Obama will announce plans to maintain the current force of 9,800 troops in Afghanistan through most of next year, then draw down to 5,500 troops in 2017.
However, Obama was believed to make the announcement Thursday morning from the White House.
Officials previewed the decision on the conditions of anonymity as they were not authorised to reveal it.
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