NATO is warning it could end its military presence in Afghanistan if that country’s president does not sign a post-2014 security accord with the U.S., Reuters reported Monday.Adrian Croft writes NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters Monday that without a U.S.-Afghanistan pact, the alliance will not be able to complete its troop presence agreement with the Afghan government.
“In that case, we don’t have a proper legal framework in place and it will not be possible to deploy a ‘train, advise, assist’ mission to Afghanistan after 2014,” Rasmussen added.
The Loya Jirga approved the security pact between Afghanistan and the U.S., but Afghan President Hamid Karzai wants to postpone the signing until after April elections, according to the report.
A NATO diplomat told Reuters that withdrawal of international troops could threaten billions of military and civilian aid to the region.
