The US is abandoning plans to cut the number of its forces in Afghanistan to 5,500 by the end of the year, bowing to military leaders who want to keep more troops there, officials said.

While no final decision on numbers has been made, officials said the administration is poised to slow withdrawal plans and probably will allow many of the 9,800 American troops to remain well into next year. There are also discussions about keeping a steady number of counter terrorism troops into 2015, including options under which some would remain in the country or be nearby beyond 2016. Currently, about 2,000 US troops are conducting counter terrorism missions, and military leaders have argued that they will need to continue pursuing the remnants of al Qaida and to monitor Islamic State militants looking to recruit in Afghanistan.