Local servicemen weigh in on President’s Afghanistan announcement

President Barack Obama announced the number of troops he plans to leave in Afghanistan when he leaves office.

Obama acknowledges that few Americans might have expected U.S. troops would still be in Afghanistan this long after the 2001 invasion following the 9/11 attacks.

Obama had planned to drop troop levels from 9,800 to 5,500 troops by the end of 2016. But Taliban resurgence has forced Washington to rethink its exit strategy.

Obama’s announcement comes a day before he heads to a NATO summit in Poland, where Afghanistan is high on the agenda.

U.S. military leaders have urged Obama not to stick with his planned drawdown. They say a larger force is need to continue to provide security and logistics support for those allies.