© 2026 ABC News

The decision comes after a months-long comprehensive review that begin this past spring and included conversations among Obama, Afghan President Ghani, and Afghan Chief Executive Officer Abdullah.

While the announcement coincides with the Taliban’s capture of Kunduz last month, the plan to keep thousands of troops in Afghanistan was being considered and reviewed for months, senior administration officials told ABC News.

During congressional testimony last week, Gen. John Campbell, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, recommended leaving more than the 1,000 troops after 2016 in order to adequately train Afghan security forces and focus on counter-terrorism efforts.

This new plan is estimated to cost $14.6 billion in 2017, compared to the $10 billion projected for the president’s previous proposal.

While Republicans welcomed the announcement today, they also said the plan to maintain troop levels would not be sufficient to advance U.S. interests in Afghanistan.

“The House of Representatives will closely review this announcement, but let’s be clear: maintaining the status quo in Afghanistan is not a plan for success,” House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, wrote in a statement. “The president’s half-measures and failed leadership have emboldened our enemies and allowed for ISIL’s rise,” using the government’s preferred acronym for ISIS.

ABC's Ben Siegel contributed to this report.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/Politics/obama-announce-thousands-troops-remain-afghanistan-2016/story?id=34485190","legacySlug":"/news/story/obama-announce-thousands-troops-remain-afghanistan-2016-34485190","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"16:07","publishDate":"10-15-2015","updatedTime":"21:32","updatedDate":"10-15-2015","socialImage":{"alt":"President Barack Obama at a news conference on Afghanistan in Washington on Oct. 15, 2015.","credit":"ABC","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/HT_Obama_MEM_151015_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"10/15/2015 16:07:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":34485190,"headline":"Obama to Keep US Troops in Afghanistan Beyond 2016","mediaAssetTitle":"SAENZ_OBAMA_AFGHANISTAN_20151015","description":"About 5,500 troops will remain in Afghanistan at the end of 2016.","duration":"20:57","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2015/10/151015_abc_spec_rep_obama_afghanistan_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["34469679","34395408","34322666"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"October 14, 2015","headline":"First Photos From Inside Kunduz Hospital Show Destruction","section":"news","slug":"/news/story/devastating-aftermath-inside-kunduz-hospital-hit-us-air-34469679","id":34469679,"image":{"alt":"First Photos From Inside Kunduz Hospital Show Destruction","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/HT_msf_kunduz_doctors_without_borders_hospital_1_jt_151014_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Andrew Quilty/Foreign Policy","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"October 11, 2015","headline":"U.S. Military to Make Condolence Payments for Deadly Airstrike","section":"news","slug":"/news/story/us-military-make-condolence-payments-deadly-airstrike-34395408","id":34395408,"image":{"alt":"U.S. Military to Make Condolence Payments for Deadly Airstrike","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/ap_kunduz_hospital_attack_01_jc_151008_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"MSF / AP Photo","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"October 8, 2015","headline":"Malala Yousafzai Opens Up About New Film, Teenage Life and Mission to Educate Girls","section":"news","slug":"/news/story/malala-yousafzai-opens-film-dating-mission-educate-girls-34322666","id":34322666,"image":{"alt":"Malala Yousafzai Opens Up About New Film, Teenage Life and Mission to Educate Girls","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/ht_he_named_me_malala_02_jc_151007_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"ABC News","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Obama to Keep US Troops in Afghanistan Beyond 2016","description":"About 5,500 troops will remain in Afghanistan at the end of 2016.","duration":"20:57","uploadDate":"10-15-2015","publication":"10-15-2015","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2015/10/151015_abc_spec_rep_obama_afghanistan_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2015/10/151015_abc_spec_rep_obama_afghanistan_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/obama-announce-thousands-troops-remain-afghanistan-2016-34485190"}},"playlist":[{"id":"133810954","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133779647","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133810835","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133749799","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133777519","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133748258","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133730535","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133712423","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133694181","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133688738","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133616358","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133616342","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133522899","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133584123","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133579397","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133482839","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133390157","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133415361","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133414032","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133380485","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"Obama to Keep US Troops in Afghanistan Beyond 2016","pubTime":"12:07","pubDate":"10-15-2015","modTime":"17:32","modDate":"10-15-2015","taxonomyTags":"none","id":34485190,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Obama to Keep US Troops in Afghanistan Beyond 2016","mediaAssetTitle":"SAENZ_OBAMA_AFGHANISTAN_20151015","videoId":34485190,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/obama-announce-thousands-troops-remain-afghanistan-2016-34485190"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/34485190","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/34485190","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};