SOFA.

This is coolbert:

From the tip as seen at Jungle Trader:

"Afghanistan"

"From NBC News: 'While many Americans have been led to believe the war in Afghanistan will soon be over, a draft of a key U.S.-Afghan security deal obtained by NBC News shows the United States is prepared to maintain military outposts in Afghanistan for many years to come, and pay to support hundreds of thousands of Afghan security forces.'"

Military outposts as manned by American military personnel as predicated on the contingency that SOFA status approved of and is a done-deal!

SOFA or rather the lack of same the reason why a total withdrawal of American military personnel in Iraq occurred as it did. Military as opposed to civilian.

SOFA! Status of Forces Agreement!

That legal document as agreed upon and binding on American troops.

The protocol of which is that American military personnel committing a crime OFF BASE subject to local law.

That American serviceman committing a crime OFF BASE subject to Islamic Sharia law, judgment and punishment.

"Islamic Sharia law, judgment and punishment" not being seen as totally compatible with American legal traditions, theories, or ideals. A culture clash occurring for which no reasonable solution ever to be found or even desirable.

My intuition tells me that SOFA will not be agreed upon, that American military as currently stationed in Afghan also withdrawing completely as was the case in Iraq.

Civilian personnel, government contractors and such remaining, and maybe not so many of them either. They will take their chances, the military will not.

coolbert.