KABUL, Afghanistan: The newly-elected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai will sign a security deal with the United States on Tuesday, allowing thousands of US troops to stay in Afghanistan for up to a decade after the end of 2014.
A senior official of the US defence department said that the new president will sign the bilateral security agreement that will allow 9,800 US troops to remain in Afghanistan after 2014.
The president also is expected to sign a NATO status of forces agreement which will allow a small NATO force to stay on as well.
Meanwhile, a senior adviser to the US President Barack Obama John Podesta told a news conference at the US embassy in Kabul that he would sign the deal on behalf of the US.
The announcement comes after Ashraf Ghani was sworn in as Afghanistan’s new president on Monday, following a long dispute over the final results of the country’s presidential election.
The new Afghan government will succeed that of President Hamid Karzai who has been in power since Washington and its allies invaded the country.
