At the Lisbon NATO Summit, the US-European alliance made an open ended commitment to Afghanistan. NATO 3.0 has the details.
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Hamid Karzai has told a national gathering of Afghan elders that he will not sign a much-delayed military pact with the US until night raids by foreign forces come to an end, a demand that threatens to complicate the deal.
In a fiery speech on Wednesday at the opening session of a loya jirga, a grand assembly of more than 2,000 delegates held amid tight security, the Afghan president said continued US military and economic help after the end of the Nato combat mission in 2014 was vital to avoid civil war.
But he presented himself as the leader of a proud country whose sovereignty must be respected, and set firm terms to be met before any deal could be concluded. "We want to have a strong partnership with the US and Nato, but with conditions," he said. "We want our national sovereignty, and an end to night raids and to the detention of our countrymen."
Night raids and Nato-run prisons have long been the main sticking points between the two sides during private negotiations. Some diplomats have predicted the president's rhetoric on the raids could reduce room for compromise and delay the signing of a strategic partnership.
