US, Afghanistan Sign Bilateral Security Agreement
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iStock/Thinkstock(KABUL, Afghanistan) — After a long wait, the U.S. and Afghanistan finally signed a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) on Tuesday, allowing U.S. forces to remain in the country past the end of the year.
The signing came a day after Ashraf Ghani was sworn in as the new president of Afghanistan.
The BSA allows about 10,000 American troops to remain in Afghanistan after the U.S. military’s combat mission ends on Dec. 31, to help train Afghan forces as they take over responsibility for the country’s security.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai had refused to sign the agreement, prompting the Pentagon to threaten to pull all of its troops out.
President Obama praised the signing of the BSA, saying it marks a ‘historic day’ in the U.S.-Afghan partnership.
“This agreement represents an invitation from the Afghan Government to strengthen the relationship we have built over the past 13 years and provides our military service members the necessary legal framework to carry out two critical missions after 2014: targeting the remnants of Al Qaeda and training, advising, and assisting Afghan National Security Forces,” Obama said in a statement Tuesday.
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