WASHINGTON (AP) — The former top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is calling on the White House to announce how many troops it intends to leave in that country after 2014.

Retired Gen. John Allen says Afghans need certainty on how many U.S. troops will stay behind after the majority complete their withdrawal by Dec. 31, 2014, before they will choose to side with the Afghan government instead of the Taliban. Allen was speaking in coordination with the release of a new report released by the Center for a New American Security, authored by Allen and two other top Obama advisers.