NATO head believes security pact with Afghanistan will only happen after elections

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ANI Washington
Last Updated : Feb 21 2014 | 1:45 PM IST

NATO's secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen has reportedly said that he believed that Afghan President Hamid Karzai will not sign the security pact with the US that would allow American troops to remain in Afghanistan after the end of 2014.

Rasmussen said that Kazai was likely to leave it to his successor to take a call on the issue after April elections.

According to FOX news, the international forces' mandate expires at the end of the year, and the U.S. and NATO have been negotiating agreements on maintaining some troops in Afghanistan to train and support Afghan security forces.

A majority of troops have been provided by the US to the NATO military coalition in Afghanistan.

Rasmussen claimed that though NATO planned on signing a separate pact with Kabul, it would not be finalized unless Afghanistan also signed the bilateral security agreement with the U.S.

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First Published: Feb 21 2014 | 1:29 PM IST

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