The Nato alliance's combat mission in Afghanistan, where US-led Western troops are fighting alongside Karzai's Afghan government forces against Taliban insurgents, is due to come to an end in 2014. It has long been assumed that some US forces might remain after this date to complete the job of training the Afghan army, but recently there have been louder calls in some quarters of Washington for a full withdrawal.
Issued after the leaders met for more than two hours, the joint US-Afghan statement did not rule this out, but said Obama and Karzai had "discussed the possibility of a post-2014 US presence that is sustainable." The statement, released by the White House ahead of a news conference said any force would support "a capable and effective Afghan National Security Force ... that continues to pressure the remnants of al Qaeda and its affiliates."
"The scope and nature of any possible post-2014 US presence, legal protections for US forces, and security co-operation between the two countries is to be specified in the Bilateral Security Agreement," it added. "The US reaffirmed that it does not seek permanent bases in Afghanistan."