The US President is expected to announce the post-war plans from the White House Rose Garden later today.

The proposal calls for nearly all of the remaining US forces to be out by the end of 2016 as Barack Obama finishes his second term, officials said.

The two-year plan is contingent on the Afghan government signing a bilateral security agreement with the US.

Out-going Afghan President Hamid Karzai has refused to sign the agreement, but US officials are confident that either of the candidates seeking to replace him will approve the pact.

The remaining American forces would likely be bolstered by a few thousand NATO troops.

Word of the plan comes just days after Mr. Obama's surprise visit to Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, where he met with military commanders.

Nearly 2,200 members of the US military have died during the nearly 13-year Afghan war and thousands more have been wounded.