Deutsche Welle reports that “During his trip to Afghanistan on Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter was due to meet with senior US military commanders and Afghan leaders including President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.”  

“Carter’s visit came just days after US President Barack Obama shelved plans to cut the US force in Afghanistan 5,000 by the end of 2016, opting instead to keep 8,400 troops there through the close of his presidency in January next year.”  

“The unexpected visit was Carter’s second stop in a war zone in as many days. As well as participating in the NATO advisory-and-assist mission, the US has special operations forces in Afghanistan that conduct counterterrorism missions.”