Presidential contender Hillary Clinton on Friday declared her full support for President Obama's plan to keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan until at least 2017, saying the move reflects a knowledge of "what's going on in the real world."

In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, the former Secretary of State reiterated Obama's position, saying that while the U.S. government doesn't want troops engaged in on-the ground content, "we want them to help support and train the Afghan army."

"So I can't predict where things will be in January of 2017," Clinton said. "But I support the president's decision."

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She added that the move reflects that of "a leader who has strong convictions about what he would like to see happen but also pays attention to what's going on in the real world."

The interview followed the President's announcement Thursday that as many as 5,500 soldiers will remain in the country for at least another year, reversing previous pledges to end the United States' war in Afghanistan.

"The White House’s announcement thrusts the future of Afghanistan into the 2016 race, an issue that has received scant attention up to this point and was not addressed during the first Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday," AP notes. "Clinton has not talked extensively during her campaign about how she would pursue a peaceful transition from the war in Afghan."