US will have 9,800 troops in Afghanistan in 2015: Obama

President Barack Obama has said that the United States will reduce its troops to 9,800 in Afghanistan by the end of this year before a complete withdrawal takes place by the end of 2016.

Obama said the US will reduce its military presence by half by the end of next year and bring it further down to a "normal embassy presence" by the end of 2016, adding the decision is subject to signing of a bilateral security agreement with Afghanistan.

"At the beginning of 2015, we will have approximately 9,800 US service members in different parts of the country, together with our North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies and other partners," Obama said.

"By the end of 2015, we will have reduced that presence by roughly half. One year later, our military will draw down to a normal embassy presence in Kabul, with a security assistance component, just as we’ve done in Iraq," he said on Tuesday.

Obama said the international community will continue to support Afghans as they build their country for years to come. He said the US' relation with Afghanistan will not be defined by war but by financial, development and diplomatic assistance to the worn-torn country.

"We will only sustain this military presence after 2014 if the Afghan government signs the Bilateral Security Agreement that our two governments have already negotiated. This agreement is essential to give our troops the authorities they need to fulfill their mission, while respecting Afghan sovereignty.

"The two final Afghan candidates in the run-off election for President have each indicated that they would sign this agreement promptly after taking office. So I'm hopeful that we can get this done," he said.

Obama's announcement was welcomed by his cabinet colleagues and lawmakers. Secretary of State John Kerry, said the Afghan people had an opportunity to "build on the progress that's been made, to achieve a more secure, more prosperous, and more peaceful future."

"I strongly support the president's decision to maintain a limited US troop presence in Afghanistan after our combat mission ends there later this year. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said, "This presence will help ensure that al Qaeda cannot reconstitute itself in Afghanistan, and it will help us sustain the significant progress we have made in training and equipping the Afghan National Security Forces," said.

"Militarily it aligns our objectives with the resources necessary to accomplish them. It builds on 12 years of effort and provides certainty so that we can continue to focus on the important work at hand in 2014 while planning for 2015 and 2016. It provides a blueprint for working regional issues with regional partners," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey said.

Democratic Leader Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi said the course of action unveiled today moved the nation step-by-step to a conclusion of the long conflict in Afghanistan. "This strategy will ensure our military maintains a strong enough presence to continue supporting counter-terrorism operations, train Afghan security forces, and build on the efforts to return responsibility for the safety of the Afghan people to Afghanistan's leaders themselves," she said.

Three top Republican lawmakers, John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte, however criticised Obama's decision to set a time limit for withdrawal of troops. They said the President's decision to set an arbitrary date for the full withdrawal of US troops in Afghanistan was a "monumental mistake and a triumph of politics over  strategy".

"This is a short-sighted decision that will make it harder to end the war in Afghanistan responsibly," they said. "The President came into office wanting to end the wars he inherited. But wars do not end just because politicians say so. The President appears to have learned nothing from the damage done by his previous withdrawal announcements in Afghanistan and his disastrous decision to withdraw all US forces from Iraq.

"Today's announcement will embolden our enemies and discourage our partners in Afghanistan and the region. His decision on Afghanistan will fuel the growing perception world-wide that America is unreliable, distracted, and unwilling to lead," the Senators said.

Image: Obama greets US troops deployed in Afghanistan during an unannounced visit to Bagram Air Base in Kabul. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters