Future Role of US Troops in Afghanistan Debated
November 20, 2013
The number of U.S. troops who remain in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO forces in 2014 depends largely on what the Loya Jirga, or gathering of tribal elders, decides in the coming days when it reviews a draft security agreement between the Afghan and U.S. governments. An Afghan government spokesman said the two sides have agreed to allow home raids by U.S. troops if President Barack Obama acknowledges mistakes by the U.S. military in Afghanistan. The U.S. says it has not agreed to this, and that Washington has its own conditions.
A key U.S. condition for leaving any troops in Afghanistan is that no American soldier can be tried under Afghan law if he or she is charged with a crime while deployed.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, speaking at a gathering of NATO ministers in October, indicated that point remains non-negotiable.
"Our position has been very clear on this, especially on jurisdiction," he said.
The memory of crimes committed by U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, now serving a life sentence for massacring 17 villagers, is perhaps the most poignant. The dead, in Kandahar province last year, included several children.
Enforcing U.S. law
Michael O'Hanlon, at the Brookings Institution, said the U.S. has a longstanding policy of not allowing its soldiers to be tried under foreign laws.
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