The much awaited deal between Afghanistan and US has been finalized and there are expectations that the deal will be signed before or during the Chicago summit that has to be held next month. US, in the draft, has mentioned that it would continue to support Afghanistan both economically and militarily; however, there have not been very definite decisions. It has not been mentioned how much will be paid to Afghanistan by US so as to support its security forces.

There have been concerns regarding the expenditures of the Afghan forces after the withdrawal of international troops in 2014 as Afghan economy is not strong enough to bear the burden of its security forces against a very lethal enemy.

The international community has not yet come up with the ways of compensating for about $ 4 billion annually (estimated figure). NATO in its recent meeting in Brussels urged China and Russia to contribute so that it should be able to meet the requirements. Karzai a week or so earlier had demanded that US should clearly mention the amount it is going to offer according to the deal. However, this current draft, which was read by Rangin Dadfar Spanta - Afghan National Security Adviser, in the parliament, has not mentioned the actual amount.

The agreement, as read by Spanta, states that US would not launch attacks on the neighboring countries from Afghan soil. He read, "Considering that stability in Afghanistan would be stability for Central Asia and South Asia, the United States emphasizes that any kind of interference in Afghan affairs would be a matter of concern for the United States… If any interference occurs, the United States, with the agreement of both countries, will give a proper response, including diplomatic means, political means, economic means and even military means."

The neighboring countries, especially Pakistan and Iran have been very much serious about the presence of US in their immediate neighborhood. Moreover, Pakistan on various occasions has condemned the drone attacks on their land through Afghanistan. Even Afghan officials had condemned such attacks. However, this particular mention in the agreement may not prove very much useful unless US takes confidence building measures with the regional countries directly.

The agreement does not mention the actual number of US forces that would stay in Afghanistan after 2014 and there have not been clear discussion regarding the permanent US bases. However, US had earlier mentioned that it does not have any interest in maintaining permanent bases in Afghanistan. Dadfar Spanta mentioned that final decisions regarding the US bases would be taken later.

Though the Afghan-US strategic deal may play a very important role in the country, there are many other important issues that have to be considered before peace and tranquility can be maintained. It is necessary that any future role of US in the region must take in consideration the concerns of the opposition and minority groups and civil society members as will.

Though the agreement also says the U.S. will support Afghan economic development, health care programs, education and social initiatives, and stresses that the U.S. remains committed to defending human rights and the right of free speech, it has to make sure that it supports a political system that should have the capacity to fulfill the such challenges of Afghan society and must be able to provide good governance to its people.

Moreover, US should provide all the assistance and support for the betterment of the society with a very strict condition of using the assistance for the due purposes. It should make sure that the funds are not used to fill the hungry pockets of corruption.