Pentagon pressures Afghan govt. to sign security deal
Iran Press TV
Tue Dec 31, 2013 1:12PM GMT
The Pentagon warns the Afghan government to either promptly sign a security deal with the US or face what it calls the Zero Option.
A Pentagon spokesman said the US will move to plan for a future without a military presence in Afghanistan, if the so-called Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) pact is not concluded promptly.
"We are prepared to sign the agreement," Steve Warren, the acting Pentagon spokesman, said, adding, 'We urge the government of Afghanistan to sign the agreement promptly. If we cannot conclude a BSA promptly, we will be forced to initiate planning for a post-2014 future that does not have a US troop presence there."
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has already criticized pressure from the US to accept the agreement, accusing Washington of behaving like a colonial power.
The fresh warning by the Pentagon coincided with the release of a new survey indicating the war in Afghanistan is the most unpopular war in US history.
Washington wants to keep thousands of troops after next year's planned withdrawal from Afghanistan. It also wants legal immunity for its remaining forces as part of the deal.
President Karzai has refused to sign the so-called security deal, saying the US military must first halt its night raids. The US has been pressuring Karzai to sign the pact but the Afghan president says the matter should be left to the next government after April elections.
Washington says if Karzai doesn't sign the deal before the year's end, the US-led forces must leave Afghanistan completely.
Afghan activists say the security treaty between Washington and Kabul will pave the way for prolonged US military presence in the war-ravaged country.
Afghan political figures have also heaped scorn on US-led forces for committing unforgivable crimes against Afghan women and children since invading the country in 2001.
JR/PR
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