WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he was getting "very close" to make a decision on U.S. Afghanistan strategy, including setting new troop levels.
"We're getting close. We're getting very close. It's a very big decision for me," said Trump at a press conference held at his golf club retreat in New Jersey.
"Frankly, it's going to be a decision that's going to be made very soon," added Trump.
Currently, there are about 8,400 U.S. troops and another 5,000 forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on the ground in Afghanistan to train and assist the Afghan forces against the Taliban, and conduct counter-terrorism missions.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama had planned to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to some 5,500 by the end of 2015 and withdraw all troops by the end of 2016 when his presidency came to an end. However, given the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, the Obama administration repeatedly postponed the withdrawal.
The prospect of new U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan came at a time when senior U.S. officials warned of dire security situation in Afghanistan.
U.S. National Intelligence Director Dan Coats warned in May that the security situation in Afghanistan would most likely deteriorate in the future even if the United States and its allies offer more military aid.
