Top US general: negotiations done on Afghan deal

America's top military officer says the US does not intend to renegotiate a security deal with Afghanistan and that a full withdrawal of its forces from the country at the end of 2014 could reverse gains made by Afghan troops in their war against the Taliban.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters late yesterday that although he is not yet planning a so-called "zero-option" to remove all US forces at the end of 2014, a failure to sign the deal it could make it an "unfortunate possibility."
The US wants it signed by the end of the month, but Afghan President Hamid Karzai has so far refused to do so. It could keep thousands of US troops in Afghanistan for up to a decade.