The Obama administration is preparing to add as many as 1,000 troops to the U.S. ground forces that will remain in Afghanistan next year in order to fill a gap left by NATO partners, according to a media report Tuesday.
Three sources with direct knowledge of the situation told Reuters that final U.S. troop numbers are still being discussed. But one of the sources said that at least several hundred American soldiers will be on the ground than initially planned.
“If they hadn’t done that, the [NATO] mission would have lost bases,” the source said.
Reuters reported that under the U.S. commitment, described as a “bridging solution” until other nations fulfill their pledges later in the year or the troops are no longer needed, Washington may provide up to 1,000 extra troops.
The figure was confirmed by all three sources, who spoke with the news agency.
Following the 13-year U.S.-led occupation of Afghanistan, recent months have seen U.S. and NATO allies agree to roll back their troop presence over the coming two years.
Under the agreement, roughly 12,000 foreign troops are committed to staying on the ground and maintaining NATO bases in Afghanistan through the end of 2015.
In May, President Obama announced that U.S. troop levels would be cut to 9,800 by the end of this year, before dropping to fewer than 5,000 by the close of 2015 — then down to a smaller U.S. Embassy security presence in Kabul by the end of 2016.
• Guy Taylor can be reached at gtaylor@washingtontimes.com.
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