Afghan president rejects pressure over US deal

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is saying that "no pressure, no threats and no psychological war" will force him to sign a deal allowing foreign forces to remain in Afghanistan past a planned withdrawal at the end of this year, according to AP. Karzai made the comments Saturday at a news conference in the capital, Kabul. A security agreement that would keep about 10,000 U.S. troops and about 6,000 from allied nations past 2014 has been stymied by Karzai's refusal to sign it until Afghans elect his successor in the April 5 elections. The deal is seen as crucial to train and mentor the nascent Afghan security forces, which now number about 350,000. If the deal falls through, the U.S. has said it will pull all its forces out of Afghanistan