Defense

Pullout may not be necessary

The U.S. has threatened to pull all troops out of Afghanistan by the end of the year, because Afghan President Hamid Karzai has refused to sign the a new status...

Federal News Radio Custom Media@WTOPWFEDcustom

March 17, 2014 11:53 am

< a min read

The U.S. has threatened to pull all troops out of Afghanistan by the end of the year, because Afghan President Hamid Karzai has refused to sign the a new status of forces agreement. But that may not be necessary, because the 33,600 U.S. forces still deployed are covered by an existing status-of-forces agreement. The arrangement took effect shortly after 9/11 as the U.S. engagement there started. That agreement has no expiration date and prevents U.S. military personnel from being prosecuted under Afghan law.