US troops may stay in Afghanistan after 2014: Obama

US President Barack Obama says a small number of US troops may remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014, as the US-led NATO combat mission ends in the country.

Pledging to declare an end to more than two-decade war in Afghanistan by 2014, Obama said any US troops who stay in the country beyond the planned deadline, will only help continue to train Afghan forces and conduct counter-terror operations against al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.

Speaking during his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, Obama stressed that Afghans will take responsibility for their own future afterwards.

The president, though, did not mention exactly how many soldiers might stay in the war-torn country after this year.

The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror.

Obama’s remarks come as tensions are high between the two countries over the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), which allows thousands of US soldiers to remain in war-stricken Afghanistan after the planned 2014 withdrawal.

Karzai has so far refused to sign the deal, saying he would not sign the pact if Washington does not guarantee peace in Afghanistan.

Afghan president has recently accused the US government of undermining the government in Kabul through conducting ‘insurgent-style’ attacks; something that officials in Washington have dismissed as “ludicrous.”