9,800

From the BBC:
"US to keep 9,800 Afghanistan troops after 2014"

The US will keep 9,800 troops in Afghanistan after the US concludes its combat mission at the end of this year, President Barack Obama has said. Under the plan he announced at the White House, the US will continue to withdraw troops until only a small residual force remains after 2016.  The remaining troops would guard the US embassy, train Afghan forces and support counter-terrorism operations.

But the plan depends on the Afghans signing a joint security agreement. While current Afghan President Hamid Karzai has refused to sign such an agreement, the Obama administration appears to be confident either of the two candidates seeking to replace him would do so. "This year, we will bring America's longest war to its responsible end," Mr Obama said. The troop numbers Mr Obama announced are largely in line with what military commanders have been asking for. His announcement indicates the longest war in American history - launched by President George W Bush following the 11 September 2001 terror attacks - will end by the time he leaves office.   He confirmed the US would seek to have 9,800 troops across Afghanistan at the beginning of 2015, but that number would be reduced by about half by the end of the year and would be concentrated in Kabul and at Bagram Air Force Base. "We will no longer patrol Afghan cities and towns, mountains or valleys," Mr Obama said. "That is a task for the Afghan people." By 2016, the US president said, the military will draw down to a "normal embassy presence" with an additional security detail, "just as we've done in Iraq". "We have to recognise Afghanistan will not be a perfect place - and it is not America's responsibly to make it one," Mr Obama said. But he added the US would help Afghans secure a "hard-earned peace". Afghanistan's run-off election between Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani to replace Mr Karzai is set for 14 June.  Mr Obama noted on Tuesday that both have said they would sign a security agreement with the US.

^ I guess Obama has learned his lesson from Iraq. In Iraq he simply removed all the soldiers and now there's a civil war there. That wasn't seen as very "responsible" and so now in Afghanistan he is saying he will do something different. I agree that no soldier should be left without a new SOFA (Iraq didn't have one and Obama didn't care as he had already decided to remove all the troops from there.) ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-27593518