Afghanistan sets new deal condition: US

In a meeting with US national security advisor Susan Rice in Kabul on Monday, "Karzai outlined new conditions for signing the agreement and indicated he is not prepared to sign the BSA (the Bilateral Security Agreement) promptly," the White House said in a statement.
 
Karzai has repeatedly raised questions about the deal, which would give the opportunity to US troops to operate in Afghanistan beyond 2014.
 
The Afghan leader also emphasized that he will not sign the deal if “another [US] soldier steps foot into an Afghan home.”
 
Karzai has also asked the US for a guarantee that it will halt all military operations targeting civilian homes.
 
Washington had promised to withdraw all combat forces from Afghanistan by 2014, but now, it wants to have a long-term military presence in Afghanistan by signing the deal with Kabul.
 
Afghan political figures have heaped scorn on US-led forces for committing unforgivable crimes against Afghan women and children since invading the country in 2001.
 
Thousands of Afghan civilians, including a large number of women and children, have been killed during night raids by foreign forces and CIA-run assassination drone strikes.
 
The increasing number of casualties in Afghanistan has caused widespread anger against the US and other NATO member states.