Afghanistan and US sign troop pact
Afghanistan and the United States yesterday signed a deal to allow some US troops to stay in the country next year, signalling that new President Ashraf Ghani intends to mend frayed ties with Washington.
Hamid Karzai, who stepped down as president on Monday, refused to sign the deal in a disagreement that symbolised the breakdown of Afghan-US relations after the optimism of 2001 when the Taliban were ousted from power.
Afghan National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar and US Ambassador James Cunningham inked the document at a ceremony in the presidential palace in Kabul as Ghani stood behind the pair looking on.
"The signing sends the message that President Ghani fulfils his commitments. He promised it would be signed the day after inauguration," Daoud Sultanzoy, a senior aide of Ghani's, told AFP before the ceremony.
"It shows the president's commitment to the Afghan security forces and confidence in our future relationship with the US. We are replacing uncertainty with certainty."
US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the deal would "enable Afghanistan, the United States and the international community to maintain the partnership we've established to ensure Afghanistan maintains and extends the gains of the past decade."
US-led Nato combat troops are due to withdraw by the end of this year, lending added urgency to reaching an agreement on a residual force.
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