War on terror

New Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has said that the US may keep more troops in Afghanistan than expected.

The Pentagon head, who met with the Afghan president Ashraf Ghani on Saturday, said that the Obama administration was considering 'possible changes to the timeline for the drawdown of U.S. troops'.

He said that there could be a slowdown because the Afghan government was becoming a more reliable partner.

Former Afghan president Hamid Karazi had previously criticized the US military.

The new unity government with Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, which took office in September, could help with stability, Carter said.

His trip to Afghanistan, his first journey abroad as Defense Secretary, comes as Ghani is scheduled to visit President Obama at the White House next month.

New Defense Secretary says US could slow down troop withdrawal from Afghanistan as the country's forces face threats from Taliban, Al Qaeda and now ISIS fighters