US and Afghan soldiers hold a briefing at Combat Outpost Kandalay, before a joint security dawn patrol in the center of Kandalay village, Afghanistan, on August 4, 2011.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has asked Afghan President Hamid Karzai to allow American forces to carry out night raids on Afghan homes in �œexceptional circumstances.”
The top US diplomat called the Afghan president on Tuesday as the two sides move to finalize the wording of a draft security agreement to let thousands of American troops to remain in the country beyond next year�™s withdrawal deadline, the Associated Press reports.
Deep disagreements over legal immunity for American soldiers and the controversial issue of night raids by foreign troops have held up the security pact.
Karzai has publically slammed the night raids as a violation of Afghan sovereignty. American commanders, on the other hand, insist the surprise searches are a vital tool for fighting the Taliban.
Any deal would need to include a public apology for past mistakes by American forces from the US government, the Afghan presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi said on Tuesday.
However, the US insists no apology is on the table.
“There is not a need for the United States to apologize to Afghanistan,” said US National Security Advisor Susan Rice in an interview with CNN on Tuesday.
On Thursday, an assembly of around 3,000 Afghan tribal elders and other prominent figures are expected to attend a traditional council known as Loya Jirga to discuss the security pact.
The grand assembly can revise or reject any clause of the draft agreement, and a total rejection would most likely prevent the Afghan government from signing it. If the council approves the draft agreement, the final decision will be made by parliament.
The US wants to keep as many as 10,000 troops in the country to train the Afghan national security forces. Without an agreement, all troops should leave the country by the end of 2014.
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Source: Press TV