Afghan president opens gathering of elders, says he backs security deal with US

Afghan policemen pray while guarding the premises where thousands of prominent Afghans are scheduled to meet for a Loya Jirga on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013. Security in the Afghan capital tightened as thousands of prominent Afghans are scheduled to meet for a Loya Jirga Nov. 21, 2013 to debate a contentious security agreement with the United States. Without the agreement the United States previously warned that it will remove all its troops by the end of 2014 and an estimated $4.1 billion promised for Afghanistan's National Security Forces would likely be rescinded. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus) (The Associated Press)

A general view of the venue where the Loya Jirga will be held, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013. A traditional council around 3,000 prominent Afghans is due to start discussion on Bilateral Security Agreement between Afghanistan and the United States tomorrow. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Nov. 18, 2013 file photo, Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington. Kerry says the U.S. and Afghanistan have reached an agreement on the final language of a bilateral security agreement. The agreement will govern the presence of U.S. forces in Afghanistan after the NATO combat mission ends next year. Kerry said Wednesday that he had spoken with Afghan President Hamid Karzai earlier in the day. The proposed agreement will be placed before a gathering of Afghan elders on Thursday. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) (The Associated Press)