KABUL and the United States is all set to be signed today (Tuesday), an official said.
On behalf of the US, Ambassador James B. Cunningham will ink the pact, allowing nearly 10,000 American troops to stay in the country after the international combat mission ends on December 31.
“It is not clear so far who on behalf of Afghanistan would sign the pact, but I am sure it will be signed by an authorized Afghan official but not the president,” an Obama administration official said.
John Podesta told reporters at the US embassy in Kabul on Monday the security pact would legalize the presence of American troops in Afghanistan to train Afghan forces and help them fight against terrorist groups.
Former interior minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar, who has been appointed as national security advisor, would likely sign the agreement with Cunningham, said an official close to the new president.
The BSA was scheduled to be signed in September 2013, but former president Hamid Karzai refused to ink — a refusal that damaged relations between Afghanistan and the US.
A statement from Presidential Palace, meanwhile, confirmed the BSA and Status of Forces agreement between Afghanistan and NATO would be signed soon.
mds/mud
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