Hamid Karzai tells tribal elders to delay US troop deal till next year Government officials and the president's office were not immediately available to comment on the unforeseen development, which came just a day after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he and Mr Karzai had agreed on the language of the Bilateral Security Agreement. A spokesman for the US Embassy, Robert Hilton, said he could not comment because it is an ongoing diplomatic discussion. The Loya Jirga can revise or reject any clause of the draft agreement. Whatever they agree upon then goes to the Afghan parliament, which could make still more changes before the agreement is approved. The Jirga will hold a series of closed-door meetings until Sunday, when it makes its suggestions on the security deal to Karzai. On the US side, only the administration of President Barack Obama needs to approve the agreement, but it could reject changes made by Afghan officials. If it does, that leaves open the option for the US to pull all troops out of Afghanistan. The same could happen if the deal is not signed in a timely manner. Such was the case in Iraq, when the US and Iraq couldn't agree on terms of a security arrangement. Sectarian violence has plagued Iraq since, and some fear Afghanistan could follow that path without a continued U.S. presence if Afghan forces cannot defend the country themselves. It was unclear if the mercurial Mr Karzai would indeed wait for the elections or sign the agreement if approved by the Loya Jirga and the parliament. He has in the past made inflammatory remarks only to then change his mind. He signed a strategic partnership with President Obama last year despite criticizing the United States for its military actions in Afghanistan, including night raids against Afghan homes and air strikes that resulted in civilian casualties. Mr Karzai's reticence to sign could also be attributed to his awareness that previous leaders of his country historically have been punished if seen as selling out to foreign interests. Mr Karzai told the delegates to the Loya Jirga that his decision had to do with the lack of trust between him and the United States. "It all turns to trust, and between me and American there is not very good trust," he said. I have had fights with them and they have had propaganda against me. Mr Karzai said that waiting for the elections would prove America's commitment to Afghanistan's security and safety. As part of his pitch in favour of the deal, Mr Karzai told the gathering that Obama had assured him in a letter sent Wednesday that any military actions by US forces after 2014 will respect the safety and security of Afghans. Other contentious issues were resolved in the language, but Karzai told the delegates it was up to them to decide if they approved it. According to a draft agreement posted on the website of Karzai's office, the agreement gives the US legal jurisdiction over troops and Defense Department civilians, while contractors would be subject to the Afghan judicial process. Deep divisions in Afghanistan over legal immunity for American soldiers and contractors as well as night raids had threatened to scuttle diplomatic efforts. The pact also provides for US counterterrorism operations in coordination with the Afghans, with the goal that the Afghan forces should be in the lead. It also notes that US troops will not conduct combat operations unless they are "mutually agreed" on by the US and Afghans. Mr Karzai said the deal would pave the way for 10,000 to 15,000 U.S. troops to stay in the country after the NATO combat mission ends at the end of 2014 and give the United States nine bases around the country that it can use. While the agreement allows for a decadelong, if not longer, presence for US troops, they may not be there over that period. The Obama administration has yet to specify how long US troops might actually remain in Afghanistan to complete their training and support mission, and the agreement extends far past Obama's tenure as president. US officials have not yet disclosed the number of US troops they want to keep in Afghanistan after 2014. US officials have said the US and NATO could keep between 8,000 and 12,000 troops there. Of those, the US is expected to provide no more than 8,000.