US hails Afghan government for decision to keep US troops

President Barack Obama's Administration Saturday welcomed the approval of the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), and the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), by the Afghan parliament earlier in the week.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement the decision is "an invitation from the Afghan people to strengthen the relationship we have built over the past 13 years.
"The BSA provides our military service members and civilian personnel the necessary legal framework to carry out two critical non-combat missions after 2014: targeting the remnants of Al-Qaeda and training, advising, and assisting Afghan National Security Forces," he explained.
"The NATO SOFA gives forces from Allied and partner countries the legal protections necessary to carry out the NATO Resolute Support mission when the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission comes to an end later this year," he said.
Earnest further noted that "the timely approval of these agreements is a great credit to the newly formed government of national unity and follows a historic Afghan election that ushered in the first peaceful democratic transfer of power in the nation's history.
He said the US "applauds" President Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah's "tireless efforts to form a representative, inclusive, and smoothly functioning government and look forward to a renewed partnership that will help advance our shared interests and the enduring security of Afghanistan." The BSA "contributes to the security of the United States and our coalition partners, and to the stability of the region," Earnest concluded.