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Afghanistan and the United States signed a long-delayed security pact Tuesday, ensuring that American troops can stay in the country after the end of the year, in the first major step of newly inaugurated President Ashraf Ghani.

The Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) was signed by US Ambassador James Cunningham and Afghanistans National Security Advisor Hanif Atmar, in a televised ceremony at the presidential palace, Reuters reports.

Under the agreement, up to9,800 US soldiers are allowed to stay in Afghanistan after the end of combat operations this year, to help train and advise Afghan military and police forces. A separate pact also signed with NATO Tuesday allows for a small force of roughly 3,000 international troops.

The signing of the security arrangements comes a day after Mr. Ghani was sworn in as Afghanistans second president and signals his desire to reset ties with the US after his predecessor, Hamid Karzai, angered Washington by refusing to ink the agreement.

Mr. Karzai stunned Afghans and international officials alike byrefusing to sign the security dealwith Washington even after it had been approved by the Loya Jirga gathering of local representatives in November, of 2013, the Wall Street Journal writes.

Mr. Karzai, whose ties with the West had soured in recent years, said the agreements would undermine chances for peace with the Taliban, who remain a formidable threat to the central government.

Both Ghani and his campaign opponent Abdullah Abdullah had promised to sign the BSA as a first priority in office. The bitterly disputed and drawn-out election, results of which were delayed due to Mr. Abdullahs accusations of mass fraud, had raised fears that no new president would be in place to sign the deal.

The signing of the security pacts was also a precondition to the continued dispersement of foreign aid. Afghanistan government is hugely reliant on foreign aid a World Bank study in May found that in the year to Sept. 30, 2011, foreign aid was the equivalent of Afghanistans entire GDP, the Economist notes.

The security agreements are directly linked to the continued delivery of billions of dollars in aid that the Afghan government and its armed forces need to survive," The Wall Street Journal writes.

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Crisis averted? Afghanistan, US sign security pact (+video)

Published September 30, 2014

U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunnigham during a news conference at the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept. 29, 2014.(AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan Afghanistan and the United States signed a security pact on Tuesday to allow U.S. forces to remain in the country past the end of year, ending a year of uncertainty over the fate of foreign troops supporting Afghanis as they take over responsibility for the country's security.

Afghan, American and NATO leaders welcomed the deal, which will allow about 10,000 American troops to stay in the country after the international combat mission ends Dec. 31. Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai had refused to sign it despite U.S. threats of a full withdrawal in the absence of legal protections for American forces. U.S. officials have said that the delay in the deal's signing does not affect plans for next year.

President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, who was sworn into office a day earlier, told the assembled crowd that the agreement signaled a fundamental shift for the positive in the country's relations with the world.

"This agreement is only for Afghan security and stability," he said. "These agreements are in our national interest. The Bilateral Security Agreement will pave the ground for Afghanistan to take control, "he added.

Newly appointed Afghan national security adviser Mohmmad Hanif Atmar and U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham signed the agreement at the presidential palace in the capital, Kabul. A second agreement allowing NATO troops to stay in the country was also signed during the same ceremony.

Government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, who has assumed a post aking to prime minister after signing a power-sharing agreement with Ghani Ahmadzai, also welcomed the security deal.

"It has been signed after very careful considerations," he said, adding that "the BSA is not a threat to our neighbors. It will help strengthen peace and stability in the region."

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen welcomed the agreement, saying it outlined the group's new mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces.

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Afghanistan, US sign security agreement - VIDEO: Lesson learned in Afghanistan?

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