US troops may leave if no deal in Afghanistan

CONDITIONS

Karzai spokesman Aimal Faizi said the Afghan leader laid out several conditions for his signature to the deal in the meeting, including a US pledge to immediately halt all military raids on, or searches of, Afghan homes.

The Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) includes a provision allowing raids in exceptional circumstances - when an American life is directly under threat - but it would not take effect until 2015.

This issue is particularly sensitive among Afghans after a dozen years of war between Afghan and foreign forces and Taliban militants.

"It is vitally important that there is no more killing of Afghan civilians by US forces and Afghans want to see this practically," Faizi said.

Karzai also called on Washington to send remaining Afghan detainees at the US military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, back to Afghanistan, saying that the Loya Jirga, the assembly of elders and leaders that convened last week to debate the deal, had endorsed the pact with this condition.

Faizi said Karzai also asked the US officials to guarantee that the United States would refrain from endorsing any candidate in national elections next year.

Karzai blamed the United States for meddling in the 2009 presidential election, while his opponents accuse the president of using the pact to ensure his influence in next year's polls.

US officials have appeared exasperated by Karzai's stance on the security agreement, which they say is needed to help them plan a future mission that will assist Afghan forces fight militants and that will allow for future aid crucial for the impoverished nation.

The Obama administration has not said when it would make a decision to abandon the talks and commit to pulling all of its troops out of Afghanistan at the end of 2014, as it did in Iraq.

Faizi said the Afghan president had asked his American visitors to return to the US president with his message.

"The ball is in your court now, and get back to us," he said.