Obama and Karzai close to agreement on US role in Afghanistan after 2014
Source: The Guardian
Barack Obama and Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai came close to sealing a deal at the White House on Friday that would keep a small US force in the country after the pullout of most international forces at the end of 2014.
After hours of negotiation, both men gave ground, opening the way for a bilateral force agreement to keep US troops in Afghanistan to help with training and advice. No agreement was reached on the precise number, which is estimated will be between 3,000 and 9,000.
Obama was unable to reach agreement with Iraq on a continued US military force after its withdrawal.
The main sticking point for Obama was for Afghanistan to offer immunity from prosecution to all US forces, which the Afghan government had claimed was a violation of its sovereignty.
Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/11/obama-karzai-close-agreement-us-afghanistan
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