Obama: No Permanent Bases In Afghanistan

[stockholmer]

28. Bollocks......US presence in Afghanistan till 2024 under strategic deal

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/us-presence-afghanistan-till-2024-under-strategic-deal

The US and Afghanistan reached a deal on Sunday on a long-delayed strategic agreement that ensures US military and financial support for at least a decade beyond 2014, the deadline for most foreign forces to withdraw. The pact is key to the US exit strategy in Afghanistan because it provides guidelines for US forces that remain after the withdrawal deadline. The deal also secures the future of the Hamid Karzai-led Afghan government, which has been increasingly reliant on US backing as its support base has weakened. "Our goal is an enduring partnership with Afghanistan that strengthens Afghan sovereignty, stability and prosperity and that contributes to our shared goal of defeating Al-Qaeda and its extremist affiliates," said US Embassy spokesman Gavin Sundwall. "We believe this agreement supports that goal." Insurgents linked to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda remain powerful ten years after the US-led invasion, and as recently as a week ago launched a large-scale attack on the capital Kabul and three other cities.

The draft agreement was worked out and initialed by Afghan National Security Adviser Rangin Dadfar Spanta and US Ambassador Ryan Crocker. It must still be reviewed in both countries and signed by the Afghan and American presidents. US forces have already started pulling out of Afghanistan, and the majority of combat troops are scheduled to depart by the end of 2014. But the US is expected to maintain a large presence in the country for years after, including special forces, military trainers and government-assistance programs.

The agreement comes after months of negative stories detailing US abuses of power had put the entire alliance in peril. Since the beginning of the year, US-Afghan relations have been strained by an Internet video of US marines urinating on the corpses of presumed Taliban fighters, as well as Quran burnings at a US base that sparked days of deadly protests. Tensions reached breaking point after a US soldier massacred 16 Afghan civilians as they slept in a southern Afghan village soon after the Quran burning protests. A spate of attacks by Afghan security forces on their international counterparts added further strain on ties. "The document finalized today provides a strong foundation for the security of Afghanistan, the region and the world and is a document for the development of the region," Spanta said in a statement issued by President Hamid Karzai's office.

Neither Afghan nor US officials would comment on the details of the agreement. A Western official familiar with the negotiations said it outlines a strategic partnership for 10 years beyond 2014. White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said President Barack Obama expects to sign the document before a NATO summit in Chicago next month, meeting the deadline set by the two sides

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'Sorry but you're here until 2024': President Obama commits US to stay in Afghanistan for 12 more years as he takes 'I got Osama victory lap' to Kabul

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2138104/Osama-bin-Laden-death-anniversary-Barack-Obama-Afghanistan-TV-address-Kabul.html#ixzz1tjvQjUot


President Barack Obama last night took his victory lap marking the first anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden to Afghanistan, landing in Kabul amid elaborate secrecy to deliver a live televised address.

Speaking in front of a line of military vehicles at Bagram air base, Obama declared: ‘One year ago from a base here in Afghanistan, our troops launched the operation that killed Osama bin Laden.
'The goal that I set to defeat Al Qaeda and deny it a chance to rebuild is now within our reach.'
The President also used his speech to indicate that there would be a U.S. presence in the country until 2024. His previous public position has always been that troops would be out of the country by a 2014.

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