KABUL — The United States will keep up to 1,000 more soldiers than previously planned in Afghanistan into next year, outgoing US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Saturday, in a recognition of the still formidable challenge from Taliban insurgents. Hagel, officially confirming a change in the US drawdown schedule first reported by Reuters, said the additional troops were a temporary measure and did not change the long term timeline for withdrawing troops. He said US forces in Afghanistan could fall only to 10,800 troops, rather than 9,800 as originally planned. The additional troops could stay until the first few months of 2015, while agreements were reached with other coalition partners to fill the gap, Hagel added. “But the president's authorization will not change our troops' missions, or the long-term timeline for our drawdown,” Hagel said during an unannounced trip to Afghanistan, his last as Pentagon chief. Earlier, Hagel expressed confidence in the ability of Afghan forces to defend Kabul following a spike in Taliban strikes. Hagel's visit came just weeks before the official end of the NATO-led combat mission and a sharp reduction in western forces. “I have confidence that the Afghan security forces have the capacity to defend Kabul,” Hagel told reporters before landing in Kabul, where he discussed security with Afghan leaders and US officials. As of early November, some 4,600 members of the Afghan security forces had been killed in 2014. — Reuters
