U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the accord was reached during conversations Wednesday between himself and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Afghan leaders will hold a meeting -- known as a loyajirga, or grand assembly -- starting on Thursday to decide whether to accept or reject the deal.If approved, the agreement would go into effect January 1, 2015, and last "until the end of 2024 and beyond, unless terminated" by mutual agreement and with two years notice by either party, according to a copy of the deal posted online Wednesday by the Afghan government that a U.S. official confirms is authentic.
Karzai did not ask the United States to formally apologize for past military operations that resulted in civilian casualties, according to Kerry, who added "the word apology" didn't come up in their discussions about the security agreement that would allow U.S. troops to remain in Afghanistan after 2014.Rice: Reports of a U.S. apology to Afghanistan are false
The subject of military raids and strikes has long been sore point between the two countries, especially given a number of incidents in which noncombatant men, women and children were killed.
The proposed deal contains references to respecting"Afghanistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity," and adds U.S. forces "shall not target Afghan civilians, including in their homes." But this agreement does not address past transgressions.
It states that U.S. forces will play a support role, while at the same time ceding that "U.S. military operations to defeat al Qaeda and its affiliates may be appropriate in the common fight against terrorism."
"U.S. military counterterrorism operations are intended to complement and support (the Afghan military's) counterterrorism operations, with the goal of maintaining (the Afghan military's) lead and with full respect for Afghan sovereignty and full regard for the safety and security of the Afghan people, including in their homes," the tentative deal states.
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The agreement also includes language on the U.S. government's continued funding for Afghan security forces, funneling such contributions through the Kabul-based government. The U.S. military "shall have the exclusive right" to discipline and prosecute its members for alleged acts committed on Afghan soil, according to the tentative deal, though Afghan authorities can ask that anyone be taken out of the country.
U.S. troops first deployed to Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, which were coordinated by al Qaeda leaders then based in the south Asian nation.
Since taking office, President Barack Obama has promised -- and, in some cases, acted -- to reduce troop levels there, in addition to stating the goal of ending the U.S. combat mission by the end of 2014.
The approval of a security agreement would pave the way for Americans troops to remain on the ground in Afghanistan beyond that.
Speaking on Wednesday, White House spokesman Jay Carney stressed that any U.S. forces would have"a very limited mission" and would not be "patrolling cities or mountains."
"The war in Afghanistan will end next year, as the president has promised," Carney said. "The combat mission will be over."
The language in the proposed security agreement, in fact, speaks directly to that point: "Unless otherwise mutually agreed, the United States forces shall not conduct combat operations in Afghanistan."
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