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ByJuliePace TheAssociatedPress WASHINGTON President Barack Obama on Thursday abandoned his pledge to end America's longest war, announcing plans to keep at least 5,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan when he leaves office in 2017 and hand the conflict off to his successor. It is another setback for the president in his quest to extricate the U.S. from more than a decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. That goal was already tar- nished by the return of U.S. forces to Iraq last year to help fight the Islamic State, a military mission Obama has said will likely outlast his presidency. Now, the winner of the 2016 presidential election will also become the third US commander in chief to oversee the Afghan war. "I know many of you have grown weary of this con- flict," Obama said, address- ing the American people in remarks from the White House. "As you are all well aware, I do not support the idea of endless war." But he added, ""I am firmly convinced that we should make this extra ef- fort." The president had origi- nally planned to withdraw all but a small embassy- based force from Afghani- stan at the end of next year, shortly before leaving office. Under the new $15 billion- a-year plan, the U.S. will maintain its current force of 9,800 through most of 2016, then begin drawing down to 5,500 late in the year or in early 2017. His decision thrusts the war into the middle of a presidential campaign that so far has barely touched on Afghanistan. Candidates now will be pressed to say how they will try to do what Obama could not — end a conflict that has killed more than 2,230 American service members and cost more than $1 trillion. On Thursday, leading Democratic candidates were silent about the pres- ident's decision, includ- ing Hillary Clinton, who served as Obama's secre- tary of state. Last year, af- ter Obama announced his original 2016 withdrawal timeline, Clinton said she would be open to extending the U.S. presence if Afghan leaders made that request. The president's revamped plan was welcomed by sev- eral Republican presiden- tial candidates, but some said 5,500 troops would not be enough. "If he is truly committed to fighting terrorism and securing a stable Afghan- istan, he shouldn't short- change what our military commanders have said they need to complete the mis- sion," said Jeb Bush. The former Florida governor did not say how many troops he thought would be sufficient. According to a defense official, the president ap- proved the highest number requested by commanders, with the greatest amount of flexibility. Former technology exec- utive Carly Fiorina called Obama's decision a "recog- nition of reality" in Afghan- istan. And New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said the pres- ident was "waking up to the fact that disengaging Amer- ica from the world and al- lowing there to be safe ha- vens for terrorists is not the right way to protect Ameri- can homeland security and national security." Republicans have blamed Obama's decision to with- draw all U.S. troops from Iraq in late 2011 for creat- ing a vacuum that allowed the Islamic State to thrive. The White House says the fault lies with an Iraqi gov- ernment that marginalized minority Sunnis. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was an outlier among Republican candidate. He vowed to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan immedi- ately if elected president. U.S. officials say Afghan President Ashraf Ghani asked Obama to keep the troops in his country when they met in Washington earlier this year. AT LEAST 5,500 Ob am a dr op s pl ed ge , sa ys t ro op s to s ta y in A fg ha ni st an PABLOMARTINEZMONSIVAIS—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS President Barack Obama speaks about Afghanistan, Thursday in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. The U.S Fish & Wildlife Service is committed to providing access to all of its programs, activities and facilities for all participants, including individuals with disabilities. If you have a permanent disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation in order to attend the Return of the Salmon Festival please call 530-365-8622 by October 9th, 2015. •VIEWSALMON SPAWNINGOPERATIONS • NATURAL RESOURCE INFORMATION BOOTHS • CHILD FINGERPRINTING • RECREATIONAL DISPLAYS • SPORTING EQUIPMENT • WILDLIFE-ART • CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES • FOOD BY NORTH COW CREEK SCHOOL • FISH VIEWING PLATFORM AT THE FISH LADDER > For Information Call The Hatchery At 530-365-8622 < FREE ADMISSION, PARKING & BUS SHUTTLES Park at Walmart Supercenter & Ride the Free Shuttles to the Coleman National Fish Hatchery 24 TH Annual Return of the SALMON FESTIVAL Saturday, October 17 th , 2015 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Coleman National Fish Hatchery ANDERSON, CA Thanks To Our Sponsors FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2015 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 7 A