WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is slowing the drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, leaving 8,400 troops there into next year.

Originally he had planned to drop troop levels to 5,500 by the end of the year.

The numbers reflect a compromise between Obama's original plan and what many military commanders had recommended.

Obama says the security situation in Afghanistan remains precarious. And he says Afghan security forces are not as strong as they need to be.

His decision fixes the number of troops who will remain in Afghanistan through the end of his presidency.