U.S. Will Complete Afghan Pullout by End of 2016, Obama to Say

President Obama plans to remove all American combat troops in Afghanistan by the end of 2016, a senior administration official said on Tuesday, drawing to an end more than a decade of American military engagement in the country following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Under the plan, which Mr. Obama will announce Tuesday afternoon, the United States would leave 9,800 troops in Afghanistan through the end of 2014, and reduce that number by roughly half in 2015, according to the official. By the end of 2016, the United States would have in the country only a normal embassy presence and a small security assistance force similar to what now remains in Iraq. All of these deployments hinge on the United States signing a security agreement with Afghanistan, which the administration has not yet been able to do.