Afghanistan will today sign a long-delayed security deal to allow some US troops to stay in the country next year, signalling that newly-inaugurated President Ashraf Ghani intends to repair frayed ties with Washington.
Hamid Karzai, who stepped down as president yesterday refused to sign the deal in a disagreement that symbolised the breakdown of Afghan-US relations after the optimism of 2001 when the Taliban were ousted from power.
“The BSA (bilateral security agreement) will be signed tomorrow, not by the president but by a senior minister,” Daoud Sultanzoy, a senior aide of Ghani´s told the media.
“The signing sends the message that President Ghani fulfils his commitments. He promised it would be signed the day after inauguration, and it will be.
“It shows the president´s commitment to the Afghan security forces and confidence in our future relationship with the US.
