U.S. Secures Deal to leave 10,000 troops in Afghanistan after scheduled end of the year withdrawel.
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Jabu_Rule
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U.S. Secures Deal To Stay In Afghanistan
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/29/afghanistan-us-security_n_5899732.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/29/afghanistan-us-security_n_5899732.html
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A senior adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday that Afghanistan will sign a deal Tuesday to allow American soldiers to remain in the country past the end of the year.
John Podesta, speaking to a news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, said he didn't know if newly inaugurated President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai would be the official signing the deal for Afghanistan.
Podesta said he would sign it on behalf of the U.S.
The deal will allow about 10,000 American troops to stay in the country after the international combat mission ends on Dec. 31.
The announcement comes after Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai was sworn in Monday as Afghanistan's new president, replacing Hamid Karzai in the country's first democratic transfer of power after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban.
Moments after Ghani Ahmadzai took the oath, he swore in his election challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, as chief executive, fulfilling a political pledge he had taken to share power and defuse election tensions that had threatened to spark violence between the country's north and south.
In his first speech, Ghani Ahmadzai called on the Taliban and other militants to join the country's political process and lay down their weapons. However, extremist violence Monday killed at least 12 civilians and police officers as foreign forces prepare to withdraw from the country at the end of the year.
"We are tired of war," Ghani Ahmadzai said in a televised address. "Our message is peace, (but) this doesn't mean we are weak."
U.S. officials previously had said they expected Ghani Ahmadzai or an official in his government to sign the security agreement with the U.S. shortly after his inauguration. Both Ghani Ahmadzai and Abdullah said during their campaigns they would sign the deal.
Comments
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I hope the mayor of Kabul aka the president of Afghanistan enjoys his US protection. Those troops ain't going outside their military bases much
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not really a surprise, since Ghazi and Abdullah both basically stated they'd okay this in advance (and honestly, it seemed like Karzai was the only person of note ? about it).
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It's a slick move, resources are still watched, a piece of the pie available, and a presence in a irritating area is guarded
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This is how Iraq should have ended. We weren't a conquering force so we had to abide by their wish to leave. See how that turned out. I been saying, they have to be there like they were for Japan, Germany, Korea. They all benefited immensely from relationship with the U.S. So does other countries. It did help that they had some semblance of infrastructure from the jump though.
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FuriousOne wrote: »This is how Iraq should have ended. We weren't a conquering force so we had to abide by their wish to leave. See how that turned out. I been saying, they have to be there like they were for Japan, Germany, Korea. They all benefited immensely from relationship with the U.S. So does other countries. It did help that they had some semblance of infrastructure from the jump though.
The lack of helping to set up infrastructure in Afghanistan back during the Soviet occupation and then leaving when the place was in disarray is what brought about today's current situation. -
of course, there was some distinct Cold War stuff going on there as wellFuriousOne wrote: »I been saying, they have to be there like they were for Japan, Germany, Korea.
