US govt. asked about Afghan troop level

Retired Gen. John Allen urged President Barack Obama to announce the troops numbers as he wants that Washington keep more troops in that country than previously planned, after 2014.
 
General John Allen put forth the suggestion in a report co-authored by former third-ranking civilian official at the Pentagon.
 
Washington is negotiating a long-term agreement with Kabul to maintain its military presence in Afghanistan beyond the 2014 withdrawal deadline.
 
Based on the report, the US military should keep several thousand troops above whatever troop levels are declared as part of the new security agreement. It says the additional troops must stay there for up to three more years.
 
Allen had recommended a post-2014 US force of 13,600 supported by additional NATO troops. Officials have said they are considering a range of between 8,000 and 12,000 troops.
 
On Thursday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the United States must accept conditions set by Afghans if it wants to maintain permanent military bases in his country.
 
“Any agreement will not benefit Afghanistan if they are signed without taking the interests of the country into account,” Karzai said.
 
On May 9, the Afghan President said Washington had demanded to keep nine military bases across Afghanistan. Karzai stated that the US planned to keep its nine bases in the main cities of the country, such as the capital Kabul, Kandahar, and Herat.
 
On May 2, 2012, Washington and Kabul signed a deal that authorized the presence of US troops for a period of 10 years after 2014, which was the original date agreed earlier for the departure of all foreign combat troops from Afghanistan. Afghanistan’s parliament approved the pact on May 26.
 
The US-led war of 2001 in Afghanistan removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity remains across the country despite the presence of foreign troops.