KABUL, Afghanistan — A senior adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday that Afghanistan will sign a deal Tuesday to allow American soldiers to remain in the country past the end of the year.
John Podesta, speaking to a news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, said he didn't know whether newly inaugurated President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai would be the official signing the deal for Afghanistan.
Podesta said he would sign it on behalf of the U.S.
The deal will allow about 10,000 American troops to stay in the country after the international combat mission ends on Dec. 31.
The announcement comes after Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai was sworn in Monday as Afghanistan's new president, replacing Hamid Karzai in the country's first democratic transfer of power after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban.
Read Tuesday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.