More information about Afghanistan is available on the Afghanistan Page and from other Department of State publications and other sources listed at the end of this fact sheet.

U.S.-AFGHANISTAN RELATIONS

On May 2, 2012, the United States and Afghanistan signed the Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United States of America, a 10-year strategic partnership agreement (SPA) that demonstrates the United States’ enduring commitment to strengthen Afghanistan’s sovereignty, stability, and prosperity and continue cooperation to defeat al-Qaida and its affiliates. Following the entry into force of the Agreement on July 4, 2012, President Obama designated Afghanistan a Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) on July 6, 2012. Afghanistan is the first country to be designated an MNNA since 2004.

The SPA marked the culmination of over 10 years of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. During that time, the core U.S. goal in Afghanistan has been to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qaida and its affiliates, and to prevent their return to Afghanistan.

At the July 2012 Tokyo Conference, the United States and other international partners committed to continue providing extraordinary development assistance to Afghanistan through the 2014 transition and the ensuing transformational decade. The U.S. Government continues to support a broad-based government in Afghanistan, representative of all Afghans. Afghan forces have taken or are transitioning to take the lead in combat operations, with International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) supporting through advisory and enabling roles. The transition of full security responsibility for Afghanistan from ISAF to Afghan forces will be complete by the end of 2014.

U.S. Assistance to Afghanistan

The United States has made a long-term commitment to help Afghanistan build a secure state with a democratic government that respects human rights. Through the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework, the United States and other international donors committed to providing Afghanistan $16 billion in aid through 2015 and continuing assistance at levels commensurate with the last decade through 2017. In its turn, Afghanistan committed to strengthening governance, building a legislative framework to ensure a credible, transparent and inclusive transfer of power, and making the structural changes to ensure that the government remains solvent and Afghan citizens can participate in a growing economy. The United States and others in the international community currently support Afghanistan with a broad array of assistance programs including private sector growth, capacity-building for government institutions, support to improve professionalism of security forces, programs to support civil society and respect for human rights, counter-narcotic programs, infrastructure projects, special support for the advancement of Afghan women and girls, and humanitarian relief.

The United States supports the Afghan government's goals of focusing on reintegration and reconciliation, economic development, improving relations with Afghanistan’s regional partners, and steadily increasing the security capability of Afghan forces. The United States is using a bilateral incentive program and the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework to hold the Afghan Government accountable and to encourage it to take actions to combat corruption and improve governance and to provide better services for the people of Afghanistan, while maintaining and expanding on the important democratic reforms and advances in women’s rights that have been made since 2001.

Bilateral Economic Relations

Afghanistan signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with the United States in 2004.There is no Bilateral Taxation Treaty between the United States and Afghanistan. Efforts are underway to improve the business climate, including strengthening Afghanistan’s commercial regulatory and legal framework to attract foreign trade and investment, as well as to stimulate additional trade with the United States through trade capacity development. Afghanistan is also working towards membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) by the end of 2014.

Afghanistan's Membership in International Organizations

Afghanistan and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank. Afghanistan also is a Partner for Cooperation with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and is working toward accession to the WTO.

Bilateral Representation

The U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan is James Cunningham; other principal embassy officials are listed in the Department's Key Officers List.

Afghanistan maintains an embassy in the United States at 2341 Wyoming Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel: 202-483-6410).

More information about Afghanistan is available from the Department of State and other sources, some of which are listed here:

Department of State Afghanistan Country Page Department of State Key Officers List CIA World Factbook Afghanistan Page U.S. Embassy: Afghanistan USAID Afghanistan Page | USAID Afghanistan Mission Page History of U.S. Relations With Afghanistan Human Rights Reports International Religious Freedom Reports Trafficking in Persons Reports Narcotics Control Reports Investment Climate Statements U.S. Census Bureau Foreign Trade Statistics Library of Congress Country Studies Travel and Business Information