President Barack Obama announced on Thursdaythat he will slow the planned withdrawal of United States forces from Afghanistan.The announcement came a day after the president saidhe would send troops to Cameroonto help in the fight against Boko Haram militants.Under Mr. Obama's leadership,the U.S. has led an international coalitionagainst the Islamic State group for more than a year.Islamic State forces control parts of both Syria and Iraq.Mr. Obama was elected in 2008partly because he promised to bring American troops homeand end the long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.Many Americans had grown tired of the warsand wanted their sons and daughters who were fighting them to come home.On Thursday, the president said he knows this is still what the American people want."I know that many of you have grown weary of this conflict.As you all are well aware, I do not support the idea of endless war."Mr. Obama has said many times during his two termsthat he wants American troops removed from conflict areasby the time he leaves office.In May of 2014, he spoke to soldiers at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.He told them that most of the American troopswho were then in Afghanistan would be homeby the time he left office in January 2017.But Afghan troops have not been able to provide security for the country.On Thursday, President Obama said"Afghan forces are still not as strong as they need to be."Afghanistan's former Taliban rulers and their supporters continue to threaten security.The Taliban has surprised U.S. officials with its strengthand ability to control rural areasand launch deadly attacks on cities."The bottom line is in key areas of the country, the security situationis still very fragile, and in some places there's risk of deterioration."So Mr. Obama announced this weekthat he has decided to keep the number of American troops in Afghanistanat 9,800 through most of 2016.He plans to reduce that number to 5,500by the time he leaves office in early 2017.At one time, there were 100,000 American troops in the country.Two thousand, two hundred Americans have died in the fighting.Officials say the president made his decisionafter months of talks with U.S. military leaders and Afghan officials.Many officials were worriedwhen Afghan forces lost control of the northern city of Kunduzfor a short time to Taliban militants.Also this week, President Obama ordered the militaryto send about 300 American troops to the central African nation of Cameroon.He announced the deployment in a letter sent to the heads of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.Mr. Obama wrote that about 90 U.S. troopsbegan deploying to Cameroon on Monday.They will use unmanned aircraft to find Boko Haram militants.A U.S. defense official said that Cameroon invited the troopsas part of a larger international effort to stop the spread of violent extremists.The official said the need for international action has,in the official's words, become "more urgentas Boko Haram and other organizations ramped up their violent activities."Boko Haram has been active in northern Cameroon.The area is near their main base in northeastern Nigeria.The group has killed hundreds of civilians in Cameroonand at least 10,000 in Nigeria over the past few years.An American defense official said it is not known how long the troops would be in Cameroon.The official said they would stay "as long as (their) presence is requested."