During Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's visit, President Barack Obama announced less than 10,000 troops will remain in Afghanistan for the year, slowing down the U.S. troop withdrawal from the war-torn nation.

In a joint statement, the U.S. announced its continued support for the Afghan state and its democratically elected government by keeping a number of troops in the country. Although the U.S. will continue with the scheduled full withdrawal by 2016, 9,800 troops will remain in Afghanistan through the end of 2015.

The shift in policy comes after President Ghani asked the U.S. to maintain troops in the country while Afghan forces take on more security roles throughout the country.

"This flexibility reflects the re-invigorated partnership with Afghanistan, which is aimed at making Afghanistan secure and preventing it from being used to launch terrorist attacks," the statement said.

In a press conference, President Obama explained: "President Ghani has requested some flexibility on our drawdown timelines." Having consulted with Gen. John Campbell, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the president opted to slow down the return of troops.

The president also announced plans to work with Congress to fund 352,000 Afghan security and military troops through 2017. President Obama also recognized the work done by Afghan forces as thousands of foreign and U.S. troops have left the country in recent years.

When asked about dangers to U.S. troops and how to justify to them that their planned returns would be delayed, the president explained that the date for U.S. troop withdrawal had not changed.

President Obama also pointed out that in the last 90 days there had not been an American casualty. However, he explains the sacrifice will be worthwhile as Afghan troops continue to adapt and learn to fight alone, as they have started doing these past months.

"It is my judgment, it's the judgment of General Campbell and others who are on the ground, that providing this additional time frame during this fighting season for us to be able to help the Afghan security forces succeed is well worth it," the president explained. "And in that sense, once again, we are asking our men and women in uniform to fight on behalf of our freedom and on behalf of a more orderly world."

The president's remarks and agreement with President Ghani's request could refer to the current situation in Iraq. Iraqi troops were not ready to fend for themselves following the U.S. withdrawal in 2011, leading to the rise of ISIS.

The Chairman of the House Armed Services, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), agreed with the president's decision but said the current situation in Iraq stemmed, in part, because the president withdrew troops too early, reports Defense One.

"Everyone looks forward to the day when Afghans can meet all of their own security needs, but Iraq has shown us the consequences of leaving a fragile ally too early," he said. "The bottom line is that our own security is at stake."