Paraag Shukla

fact sheet
March 15, 2012

u.s.-AfghAn strAtegic Agreement

hh Americas core objectives in the region require a secure and stable Afghanistan, and it is imperative for u.s. leaders and policymakers to be proactive in securing a strategic agreement favorable to the united states and our allies. hh Afghan President hamid Karzai announced on march 11, 2012 that he would sign a strategic partnership agreement with the united states before the next nAtO summit in may. Karzais recent statements supporting the strategic agreement demonstrate his recognition that a longer-term u.s.-Afghanistan relationship is vital, as Kabul will continue to rely heavily on international assistance after 2014. hh recent events may complicate this negotiation. On march 15, Karzai called for isAf to pull out of rural areas and hand over all security responsibilities to the Afghans in 2013, a year earlier than previously planned. the demand followed the killing of 16 civilians by a u.s. soldier in Kandahar. Any accelerated withdrawal of coalition forces from villages would leave vast areas of Afghanistan unprotected and would greatly undercut gains achieved by working with and protecting local populations.1 hh Karzai has long advocated for Afghan-led military operations and has openly criticized coalition errors in the past. As American politicians began to call for an end to supporting Afghanistan in the wake of violent protests for the accidental burning of the Koran and the killing of 16 Afghan civilians by a rogue u.s. soldier, Karzai realigned his position on the strategic agreement. he has been working to assist Coalition efforts to quell discontent and violence. Although he condemned the mistakes, he worked with religious leaders and local politicians to help bring the protests under control.2 hh Karzai has also said that two issues that will not be included in the strategic agreement are basing rights and the number of international forces in Afghanistan after 2014. Karzai said both would continue to be negotiated and could take up to a year to resolve to give adequate time to allow both sides to evaluate their responsibilities.3 hh Previous negotiations on the strategic agreement have stalled on two key areas: the control of prisons and detainees as well as the contentious issue of night raids. Both sides have also delayed answering the question of how many u.s. or coalition forces will be in place after the transition of key security responsibilities to the Afghans in 2014 and their access to military bases across the country. hh commander of international security Assistance force (isAf) general John Allen and Afghan minster of Defense general Abdul rahim Wardak signed an agreement on march 8 nominally to transfer prison control to Afghan authorities. An Afghan officer will take command of administrative operations but will have no command authority over u.s. personnel. the u.s. will gradually hand over control of the 3,200 detainees over the next six months. non-Afghan prisoners will remain in u.s. custody and the u.s. will have veto power on any prisoner releases to prevent insurgents from returning to the battlefield. The Afghan government will also implement a legal framework to continue the detention of prisoners in accordance with international humanitarian law.4

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hh night operations conducted by coalition forces targeting insurgents have been a red line for Karzai, as he claims it is an affront to Afghan sovereignty. Two days after the agreement over prison authority was signed, the u.s. state Department spokesperson stated that the night raids issue was being discussed separately from the strategic partnership. there are details to be worked through about how these operations are going to work in the future. this is also an area where Afghans are increasingly in the lead, so i think its a matter of working through what support they might require in the future, she said.5 hh the united states will hold a presidential election in 2012, and Afghanistan will do the same in 2014. regardless of the political landscape in both countries, Kabul will continue to rely on financial, political and military assistance from the U.S. and other Coalition nations. Karzai is working actively to maintain American and nAtO support for the strategic agreement, and has wisely agreed to defer the more contentious issues. The United States recent reaffirmation of its commitment to Afghanistan through a strategic partnership agreement will enable Washington to help sustain a stable and secure Afghanistan after the planned drawdown in 2014.

notes
Taliban Talks Off; Karzai Tells NATO To Pull Back, Associated Press, march 15, 2012. isaac hock and Paraag shukla, the Afghan response to the 2012 Koran Burning incident, institute for the study of War, march 2, 2012. 3 samimi, mir Agha, Zarghona salehi, strategic pact with us excludes military bases: Karzai, Pajhwok, march 11, 2012. 4 international security Assistance force, u.s., Afghanistan Agree to turnover of Parwan Detention facility, march 9, 2012. nordland, rod, u.s. and Afghanistan Agree on Prisoner transfer as Part of Long-term Agreement, The New York Times, march 9, 2012. graham-harrison, emma, Afghan president moves closer to agreement on post-2014 us pact, The Guardian, march 11, 2012. 5 Jha, Lalit, talks with Kabul on night raids continuing, says us, Pajhwok, march 10, 2012.
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