The December 31 “ultimatum” set by the US for the Karzai government to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) has come and gone, and with no deal in place the US keeps pressing for quick action.
Now, US officials say they want Karzai to sign the deal in “weeks, not months.” They continue to threaten military withdrawal if the BSA is not signed, though there is no specific deadline anymore since the December one was ignored.
The BSA would government US occupation of Afghanistan “through 2024 and beyond.” Karzai has insisted he won’t sign until after the April election, ending his term in office.
The US has insisted they won’t wait that long, but the Pentagon has also insisted they haven’t really considered ending the occupation, so it seems that they will keep railing against the situation until April, but won’t get what they want.
US leaders appear almost comical with their "I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll take my troops home" negotiating style. Karzai knows that US troops can't possibly be out of Afghanistan by April if the Pentagon hasn't "really considered ending the occupation." So he's free to continue holding out for a better deal, if not for Afghanistan then at least for him personally.
“Go ahead, make my day,” said Karzai to the rouge state.
“Go ahead, make my day,” said Karzai to the rouge state.