美国总统奥巴马打算在离任前把留驻阿富汗的美军维持在8400人。有关专家说，阿富汗的保安局势持续恶化，奥巴马的这一决定使接下来往哪里走留下了很多没有回答的问题。
美国政府原计划到2016年年底，把驻阿美军从9800人减少到5500人左右。
但是，奥巴马星期三宣布，阿富汗的安全局势“依然很不稳定”，所以他准备在离任前让更多的部队留在阿富汗。奥巴马将于2017年1月结束他的总统任期。
奥巴马说，“塔利班依然是威胁。他们在好几次战斗中都扩大了地盘，他们继续在喀布尔等地发动攻击，实施自杀炸弹袭击”。他还说，“由于塔利班有意针对平民，所以阿富汗有更多的男人、妇女和儿童丧生，这些人在全球难民危机中往往会被忽略。”
奥巴马表示，让更多美军留在阿富汗为下届总统提供了“坚实基础，继续扩大在阿富汗的进展，也为打击恐怖主义的努力提供了很多灵活性。”
U.S. President Barack Obama's plan to maintain 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan through the end of his presidency leaves many unanswered questions about the best path forward as the security situation continues to worsen, experts said.
The administration had initially planned to reduce the number of U.S. troops from the current 9,800 to around 5,500 by the end of 2016.
But Obama announced Wednesday the security situation in Afghanistan "remains precarious" and so he is leaving more troops than originally planned through the end of his term, which ends January 20, 2017.
"The Taliban remains a threat. They have gained ground in some cases, they have continued attacks and suicide bombings including in Kabul," Obama said. "Because the Taliban deliberately target civilians more Afghan men, women and children are dying and often overlooked in the global refugee crisis."
Obama said leaving more troops in Afghanistan when he leaves office will give the next U.S. president “a solid foundation for continued progress in Afghanistan as well as the flexibility to address the threat of terrorism as it evolves.”
