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President Barack Obama paid an unexpected visit to Afghanistan on Tuesday of May 1 to sign an agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai that outlines the US relationship with Afghanistan following the end of the war. May 1 also marks the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Osama bin Laden.Â
Obama and Karzai signed the Strategic Partnership Agreement at the presidential palace right after midnight local time. Karzai called the agreement an “equal partnership” between the two nations and expressed his gratitude toward the US for supporting Afghanistan.
Last year, the US outlined a plan to withdraw most of its troops by 2014, and was soon followed by withdrawal announcements by most of the NATO nations.
After the announcements, Afghan National Security Adviser Rangin Daftar Spanta and the US Ambassador Ryan Crocker began drafting the Strategic Partnership Agreement, just a week prior to Obama’s unannounced visit.The agreement is supposed to benefit both sides equally. Afghanistan will get sovereignty and a promise of continued support from the US, while the US will get to withdraw its troops, but keep the country under its influence.
The agreement also requires that both sides prevent the Taliban from regaining power once the majority of the US troops are gone. The Afghan government already has control of detentions and special operations raids, which include the controversial “night raids”.

 
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