Afghan President Hamid Karzai disclosed Thursday the United States wants to keep nine bases in his country after the 2014 withdrawal of foreign combat troops. The Afghan leader says Kabul is ready to let Washington have those bases, but it wants security and economic guarantees for Afghanistan.
For months, Afghanistan and the United States have been engaged in talks on a bilateral deal that would define the American military presence in the country after 2014, when most U.S. and NATO troops will have withdrawn. However, both sides have offered few details until now.
On Thursday, Karzai said at a ceremony at Kabul University that discussions on the security agreement have entered a “crucial stage.” He revealed for the first time that Washington is seeking control of nine bases across Afghanistan, including one in eastern Jalalabad city bordering Pakistan and one in western Herat near the Iranian border. |