Karzai Has More Demands for Accord Extending US Troop Presence

Afghan elders approved of a long-term security accord that would allow the United States to maintain a relatively small military presence in the country for training and counterterrorism operations after 2014. But President Hamid Karzai keeps slipping in new demands. Susan Rice, US national security advisor, “told Karzai that if he failed to sign the bilateral security agreement by the end of this year, the United States would have ‘no choice’ but to prepare for withdrawal, according to a statement by the National Security Council in Washington,” report Tim Craig and Karen DeYoung. No agreement could jeopardize billions of dollars of Afghan. Despite year-long negotiations, Karzai abruptly announced that he won’t sign the agreement until after spring elections and he expects the US to start peace talks with the Taliban, release Afghan Guantanamo Bay prisoners as well as prohibit US troops from entering Afghan homes. Karzai should tread carefully. Plenty of US critics would prefer an end to all military operations in Afghanistan. – YaleGlobal