Tim Craig | The Washington Post | Social Reader | November 28, 2013
KABUL — President Hamid Karzai is facing a growing backlash from Afghan political leaders over his reluctance to sign a long-term security agreement with the United States.
Karzai had appeared to reach an agreement last week that would permit up to 15,000 foreign troops to remain in Afghanistan after the formal end of U.S. combat operations in 2014. But Karzai has since refused to sign the accord until the U.S. government agrees to a series of escalating demands.
With the Obama administration insisting that it will prepare for a full withdrawal if the agreement is not signed by year’s end, Afghan political leaders are increasingly nervous that the country’s fledgling armed forces could be on their own after 2014. If the agreement is not concluded, Afghanistan could also lose $4 billion in annual aid for its military.
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