US President Barack Obama welcomed the "historic" signing of a long-delayed bilateral security agreement with Afghanistan to allow about 10,000 US troops to stay in the country next year.
"Today we mark an historic day in the US-Afghan partnership that will help advance our shared interests and the long-term security of Afghanistan," the president said in a statement on Tuesday.
The signing under new President Ashraf Ghani took a major step towards mending frayed ties with Washington, after his predecessor, Hamid Karzai refused in a disagreement that symbolised the breakdown of Afghan-US relations after the optimism of 2001 when the Taliban were ousted from power.
"This agreement represents an invitation from the Afghan government to strengthen the relationship we have built over the past 13 years," Obama said.
It "provides our military service members the necessary legal framework to carry out two critical missions after 2014: targeting the remnants of al-Qaeda and training, advising, and assisting Afghan National Security Forces", he added.
The security agreement "reflects our continued commitment to support the new Afghan unity government", Obama said, referring to the power-sharing deal between Ghani and his poll rival Abdullah Abdullah that resolved months of dispute over election fraud.
"We look forward to working with this new government to cement an enduring partnership that strengthens Afghan sovereignty, stability, unity, and prosperity, and that contributes to our shared goal of defeating al-Qaeda and its extremist affiliates," Obama said.
NATO support next year is seen as essential for national stability - though the limited size of the mission and the fact that it will be scaled back during 2015 will restrict its capabilities.
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