Hillary Clinton... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as
Another John Foster Dulles...
has said the US did not seek to establish permanent bases in Afghanistan.
"The United States will always maintain the capability to protect our people and our interests," Hillary Rodham Clinton said during her speech in Asia Society in New York on Friday.
"But in no way should our enduring commitment be misunderstood as a desire by America or our allies to occupy Afghanistan against the will of its people," Ms Clinton further said.
Officials in Kabul had previously said some high-ranking US officials had shown interest to establish permanent bases in the country in a bid to diminish insurgency in the region.
At a presser on Saturday, President
Hamid Maybe I'll join the TalibanKarzai said peace would be the precondition to establishment of bases in Afghanistan.
President Karzai said any decision about a permanent US military presence in the country should be made by Afghans and after consideration of the concerns of neighbouring countries.
"This is not something to be done only by the Afghan government and it neither has the authority. It is Afghans who should come up with a decision," Karzai said on Saturday.
"In any case, Afghanistan needs peace as a precondition and it wants to make sure that neighbouring countries don't feel any threats," he further said.
US ambassador in Kabul, Karl Eikenberry, said at a presser on Sunday that the presence of US military forces doesn't mean establishment of US permanent bases in Afghanistan.
"If your government wishes us to continue here in Afghanistan, of course our military forces will have to have locations from which they conduct their operations, training support for the Afghan National Army and perhaps counter-terrorist operations. So a presence here, but we don't talk in terms of permanent bases," Mr Eikenberry said.