In Kabul, Biden promises U.S. support beyond 2014

Vice President of the US Biden on Tuesday pledged long-term American support for Afghanistan, offering a commitment to help the war-torn nation beyond the 2014 target both countries have set to have Afghans fully in charge of their own security, Washington Post reports.

The day after he arrived in Kabul on an unannounced visit, Biden toured a training academy for Afghan soldiers, had lunch with President Hamid Karzai and said he was confident of the effectiveness of the U.S. counterinsurgency strategy.

During the intense Washington debate leading to the dispatch of 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan last year, Biden argued for a smaller military footprint, more focused on counterterrorism operations against al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders.

NATO, including the United States, has pledged economic and security assistance beyond 2014, and the United States is separately negotiating its own long-term strategic accord with Afghanistan. It is unclear whether any such agreement would involve an ongoing U.S. troop presence.