A top Afghan official says the United States is promising to help defend Afghanistan militarily for at least the next decade after Afghan forces formally take full control of the their country's security in 2014.
Afghan National Security Adviser Rangin Dadfar Spanta shared the terms of the proposed U.S.-Afghan strategic deal with the country's parliament Monday. The draft agreement was signed a day earlier by Spanta and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker during a ceremony in Kabul.
Spanta said that under the proposed deal, both sides could agree to extend U.S. military assistance past 2024.
The eight-part pact covers a wide range of issues, including economic, social and political dealings between the U.S. and Afghanistan once all international combat troops leave the country in 2014. However, Spanta told lawmakers that U.S. and Afghan officials agreed to take out the issue of U.S. bases, calling it "complicated" at this time.
He said both sides agreed to negotiate a new deal within the next year outlining the number of U.S. bases and troops as well as their responsibilities past 2014.
The draft strategic agreement now heads to U.S. President Barack Obama and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai for review, as well as the U.S. Congress and Afghan parliament.
U.S. officials say Obama expects to sign the document before a NATO summit in Chicago next month.
U.S. and Afghan officials were able to finalize the draft after the United States agreed to Afghanistan's demand for full control over the U.S.-run Bagram prison and allowed Afghan forces to take the lead on controversial special forces night raids against Taliban insurgents.
President Karzai also has said he wants a written commitment of $2 billion a year from the United States after the withdrawal.
U.S. officials said they could pay up to about $4 billion a year to fund Afghan forces. But they add the strategic pact is not meant to be a detailed aid package, but rather a broad framework committing both sides to continue to work together for years to come.
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