Afghans Rally against Potential Pact with US
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Hundreds of Afghan people, including students have taken to the streets of Kabul and the eastern city of Jalalabad to show protest against a possible security pact with the US.
The students of Jalalabad University in the eastern province of Nangarhar chanted anti-US slogans and blocked a key road between Kabul and Jalalabad on Tuesday as a sign of protest against the deal know as Bilateral Security Pact (BSA).
The demonstration comes as Afghan tribal elders, as well as civil leaders and politicians are due to attend the Loya Jirga or the grand assembly, on Thursday to discuss the pact, Press TV reported.
The US troops will be allowed to stay in the war-torn country beyond 2014 under the deal. The pact will also grant legal immunity to those American soldiers who remain in Afghanistan.
The protesters warned the delegates against signing the deal, saying they do not represent the Afghan people.
“The people (of) Afghanistan should not sign this agreement, they are not our representatives. They are not representatives of (the) Afghan people," protesters said during the rally.
Afghan protesters took to the streets of Kabul on Monday to voice opposition to the security deal with the US.
During the demonstration, the protesters blamed the US military for killing civilians and said that the US soldiers should not be granted legal immunity at all. They also called for an immediate withdrawal of the US forces from the country. There are more than 43,000 US troops in Afghanistan.
The issue of whether or not to grant legal immunity to American forces remains a controversial sticking point. Washington says there will be no deal without immunity while Kabul considers it a violation of its sovereignty.
