KABUL: US Defense Secretary Ash Carter made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Tuesday, where he will meet senior U.S. military commanders and Afghan leaders including President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.

Carter's visit comes days after U.S. President Barack Obama shelved plans to cut the U.S. force in Afghanistan nearly in half by year's end, opting instead to keep 8,400 troops there through the close of his presidency in January.

Copyright Reuters, 2016