2nd LD: Obama says no drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan this year

U.S. President Barack Obama announced Tuesday no drawdown of the current 9,800 U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan will occur through the end of 2015.

Noting that Afghanistan "remains a dangerous place," Obama said in a joint press conference with visiting Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that given the upcoming spring offensive season with Afghan militants, it is worthwhile to grant flexibility requested by Ghani in terms of the U.S. drawdown timeline.

"This flexibility reflects our reinvigorated partnership with Afghanistan, which is aimed at making Afghanistan secure and preventing it from being used to launch terrorist attacks," Obama said.

Obama had previously planned to reduce the current level of 9, 800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan to around 5,500 by the end of 2015 and withdraw all troops by the end of 2016 when his presidency comes to an end.

However, Ghani has made clear on many occasions before his first official visit to Washington after taking office last September that such a timeline for a U.S. army withdrawal would jeopardize the security situation on the ground.

Prior to his U.S. visit, he had also repeatedly told U.S. media that the extremist group Islamic State was targeting Afghanistan and gaining influence within the nation.

Meanwhile, Obama said drawdown timeline through 2016 would be decided later this year.

"The specific trajectory of the 2016 drawdown will be established later this year to enable our final consolidation to a Kabul-based embassy presence by the end of 2016," said Obama.

The White House spokesman Josh Earnest on Monday left open the possibility of leaving about 1,000 to 1,500 troops in Afghanistan for protection purpose.

"The President does envision a scenario where the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan by early 2017 reflects the need to protect the substantial diplomatic presence that the United States will maintain in Afghanistan," Josh Earnest told reporters in the daily briefing. Endite