The announcement came one day after Obama met with his top security advisors on US military progress in Afghanistan and amid demands by Karzai that US forces scale back its presence in his country and reduce night raids.

Karzai on Saturday called on the United States to reduce its military footprint in Afghanistan, saying Afghans were tired of the US presence which he charged was fuelling the Taliban insurgency.

Obama was to leave Washington late Thursday heading to Lisbon for the summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, with the nine-year war in Afghanistan set to top the agenda of the talks.

Last year, Obama boosted the number of US troops serving in Afghanistan as part of an international coalition to 100,000 troops and promised to begin transferring security responsibility to Afghan forces by July 2011.

But the White House this week unveiled a revised plan that would see US troops remain in Afghanistan through at least the end of 2014 -- three years past the original drawdown date.

Under the revised plan, US and NATO officials would begin next year handing responsibility for security to Kabul in communities where alliance officials officials believe Afghan forces are capable of taking control.

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