tolonews.com
As the United States is planning to wind down it's combat troops a year later than scheduled, senior Pentagon military officials have said that, US Special Operation Forces will remain in Afghanistan after the Nato led mission ends in 2014.
US Special Operation Forces who hunted top al-Qaeda leaders and other insurgent leaders will help in counterinsurgency and training of Afghan troops in Afghanistan.
If the plan is approved by US President Barack Obama, it would be the most significant evolution in the US military campaign since 32,000 surge troops were sent to Afghanistan.
While some US forces are preparing to withdraw, thousands of the US Special Operation Forces will remain on the ground and the number may increase.
This comes as the US Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker on Saturday said that US combat role in Afghanistan will not end by the end of 2014.
The US will stick on the Lisbon timetable where a gradual handover of security responsibilities to Afghan forces was decided, he added.
Meanwhile, US Defence Minister, Leon Panetta, said that US hopes to end it's combat role in the middle of the next year.
There are around 130,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan with more than 90,000 of them US soldiers fighting insurgents in the country.
The United States is the top contributor in Afghanistan in terms of troops and financial aid. The country is spending around $12m in the training of Afghan Security forces
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