Afghanistan is to sign a long-delayed deal with the United States tomorrow, which will allow some US troops stay in Afghanistan into 2015.
The bilateral security agreement became a symbol of frayed US-Afghan ties when former president Hamid Karzai refused to sign the deal last year, infuriating the US and other international allies.
"The BSA will be signed tomorrow, not by the president but by a senior minister," Daoud Sultanzoy, a senior presidential aide, told AFP.
"The signing sends the message that President [Ashraf] Ghani fulfils his commitments. He promised it would be signed the day after inauguration, and it will be."
Mr Karzai declined to sign the pact, even though it has popular support in Afghanistan and was approved by a traditional grand council or Loya Jirga.
Mr Ghani was inaugurated earlier today in Afghanistan's first democratic transfer of power as Mr Karzai stepped down.
Under the deal, the US deployment in Afghanistan will be scaled back to around 9,800 by the start of 2015.
Those forces will be halved by the end of 2015, before being reduced to a normal embassy presence by the end of 2016.
Along with troops from NATO allies including Germany and Italy, the US-led mission in Afghanistan in early 2015 will be about 12,500-strong.
Mr Ghani will head a power-sharing government just as the withdrawal of most foreign troops presents a crucial test.
The first democratic handover of power in Afghanistan's history has been far from smooth.
The deal for a unity government was cobbled together after months of deadlock over a vote in which both Mr Ghani and opponent Abdullah Abdullah claimed victory.
Illustrating the problems facing the new president, a blast on a road near Kabul airport just before Mr Ghani was sworn in caused some casualties.
A member of the security forces said a suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint.
There have already been signs of tension in the fragile coalition that will run the country.
A dispute over office space and whether Mr Abdullah would speak at the inauguration led to threats his camp would boycott today's ceremony, an aide of Mr Abdullah said.
Mr Abdullah was present as the ceremony began this morning, standing beside Mr Ghani.
