Pentagon chief Leon Panetta said Thursday he was “confident” the United States and Afghanistan would work out a treaty allowing a US military presence in the country beyond a pullout in 2014.
Speaking to reporters after talks with President Hamid Karzai, Panetta said he was optimistic that both sides would reach an agreement on night raids — a major issue blocking the treaty — ahead of a NATO summit in Chicago in May.
Karzai has objected to the controversial raids on the grounds that they violate the sanctity of Afghan families in their own homes and that they are responsible for many civilian deaths — a claim the US disputes.
The US military says the raids are vital in helping to reverse a Taliban insurgency by targeting insurgent leaders at home. US-led NATO combat troops are scheduled to hand responsibility for security to Afghan forces and withdraw from the country by the end of 2014.
But the strategic treaty being negotiated will cover Afghan-US relations after that with the United States reportedly keen to maintain a foothold in a country to help prevent it from once again becoming a haven for Al-Qaeda.
Panetta’s visit had been billed as an opportunity to smooth over relations with Afghan leaders, which took a severe knock when a US soldier allegedly massacred 16 villagers on Sunday and copies of the Koran were burnt last month.
He reiterated that such incidents should not cause NATO to lose sight of it mission in Afghanistan.
Analysts fear the shootings would complicate talks on a possible US troop presence after 2014, as the government has so far refused to grant them legal immunity — the same issue that scuppered a US strategic pact with Iraq.
Panetta said he promised Karzai that the gunman would be brought to justice and that the Pentagon would look at what circumstances may have caused the incident — including the possible effect of combat stress on troops.
