The United States has demanded nine permanent military bases in Afghanistan, something that has long fuelled concerns among regional countries, President Hamid Karzai said on Thursday.
In the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) being negotiated between the allies, the president said, “The US insists on its demands and interests and we have stick to our own.”
Addressing a gathering at the KabulUniversity, he said Washington had sought military bases in Jalalabad, Bagram, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kabul, Gardez, Kandahar, Helmand and Herat provinces.
Given the fact that Afghanistan was going through a critical phase of history, his administration was doing its bit to exercise caution in taking important decisions, Karzai added.
