Afghanistan Regional Forum No. 8, May 2013
By Kosimsho Iskandarov
Center for the Study of Afghanistan and Adjacent Region, Academy of Sciences, Dushanbe
The basic point of the US-Afghan agreement is that Washington obtains the right to maintain its civilian and military presence in Afghanistan for another ten years after 2014. It is precisely this point, which—to quote representatives of the Obama Administration—“will give American troops the chance to conduct counter-terrorist operations against the reestablishment of Al-Qaeda,” that disappointed the Taliban and the Islamic Party of Afghanistan (IPA) headed by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, whose leaders demand the complete and unconditional withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. In agreeing to enter into contacts and negotiations with the government in Kabul and with the United States, Afghan insurgents were hoping that all troops would be withdrawn by 2014; the signing of the agreement, however, has dispelled these hopes. Many Afghan political forces view the provision for American troops to remain after 2014 as the first step toward establishing permanent U.S. military bases on Afghan soil—something
