US troops may stay in Afghanistan past 2014

[usman_latif_ch]

KABUL: The United States and Afghanistan are in talks about drawing up an agreement that would govern many aspects of the US-Afghan relationship after the end of 2014.

"I'm feeling pretty good about where we are sitting in terms of being able to conclude a strategic partnership," US Ambassador to Kabul Ryan Crocker said. "Some aspects of that will be security. It will not set troop levels," he said, adding that no date had been fixed for the expected finalisation of the agreement.

Beyond the end of 2014, there may well be scope for an ongoing military presence, as the Afghan army will need training and technical assistance.

"There is nothing in the Lisbon declaration on 2014 that precludes an international military presence beyond 2014," Crocker said. "That is to be determined by the parties ... as we get closer to that date. We've said it's going to be an Afghan request, they would need to ask for it, but I can certainly see us saying 'yes, it makes sense'," he said.

American plans to withdraw many of its near-100,000 Afghan-based troops by next September, bringing numbers down to 68,000. (Reuters)