An occupation that never ends - U.S. to keep troops in Afghanistan through 2015

© Reuters/Mohammad Ismail

Obama will keep 9,800 U.S. troops In Afghanistan through 2015, after Afghan President Ghani requested flexibility in drawdown plan.

"We are bound by common interests and will act together to ensure both the safety of United States and the safety of Afghanistan. That is the important consideration. Numbers are a means; they are not an end in themselves," Ghani said.

President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, in office since September last year, is currently visiting the US.The Afghan delegation spent all day Monday in meetings with senior US officials, including Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Secretary of State John Kerry.

Washington has pledged to fund Afghan security forces to the tune of $4 billion a year through 2017. The US is eager to show that the new government in Kabul is reliable and competent enough to solve its own problems, while being appreciative of American help.