Afghanistan signs security pact with US
Print Edition
AFGHANISTAN and the US signed a security pact yesterday to allow US forces to remain in the country past the end of year, ending uncertainty over the fate of foreign troops supporting Afghanis as they take over responsibility for the country’s security.
Afghan, American and NATO leaders welcomed the deal, which will allow about 10,000 American soldiers to stay in the country after the international combat mission ends on December 31.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai had refused to sign it despite US threats of a full withdrawal in the absence of legal protections for American forces.
President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, who was sworn into office a day earlier, told the assembled crowd that the agreement signaled a fundamental shift for the positive in the country’s relations with the world.
“This agreement is only for Afghan security and stability,” he said. “These agreements are in our national interest. The Bilateral Security Agreement will pave the ground for Afghanistan to take control.”
Newly appointed Afghan national security adviser Mohmmad Hanif Atmar and US Ambassador James Cunningham signed the agreement at the presidential palace in the capital Kabul. A second agreement allowing NATO troops to stay in the country was also signed.
Government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, who has assumed a post similar to a prime minister after signing a power-sharing agreement with Ghani Ahmadzai, also welcomed the security deal.
“It has been signed after very careful considerations,” he said, adding that “the BSA is not a threat to our neighbors.”
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