United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has said the United States does not seek permanent bases in Afghanistan.

Speaking at a dinner in the southern state of Virginia, Clinton said: "We anticipate that a small number of forces will remain at the invitation of the Afghan government for the purpose of training, advising and assisting Afghan forces and continuing to pursue counter-terrorism operations".

Responding to fears of the impact that permanent US bases would have on the central Asian nation's neighbours, namely Pakistan and Iran, Clinton stated "we do not seek permanent American military bases in Afghanistan or a presence that is considered a threat to neighbors which leads to instability that threatens the gains that have been made in Afghanistan".