New Afghan government to sign US troop deal

The new Afghan government is to sign a deal on Tuesday that will permit a reduced contingent of US troops to remain in the country beyond 2014, the BBC reported.

The Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) will be signed by a senior minister, an aide to newly inaugurated President Ashraf Ghani told AFP news agency.

The previous president, Hamid Karzai, refused to sign the deal, straining US ties and raising security fears.

Most Nato forces are to withdraw this year, leaving 9,800 US troops behind.

The total number of troops in the US-led mission at the start of next year will be around 12,500, with the remainder coming from allies such as Germany and Italy.

The BSA allows for some foreign special forces to stay in the country to conduct "counter-terror operations" and others to support and train Afghan forces.