Karzai: US wants to keep nine bases in Afghanistan

That's a lot of presence for a nation allegedly withdrawing from the country

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has announced that the United States intended to maintain nine military bases in the country after the formal withdrawal of forces in 2014, signaling Washington's decision to maintain a significant military profile in Kabul for at least a decade.

Mr. Karzai said during a speech at Kabul University on Thursday that the Americans wanted to establish their bases in major Afghan cities including Kabul, Bagram, Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, Gardez, Kandahar, Helmand, Shindand and Herat.

"We are in very serious and delicate negotiations with America," said Mr. Karzai. He pointed out that his government would not accept U.S. demands unconditionally.