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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The US president, Barack Obama, has told his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai that he is preparing a contingency plan for a full US troop withdrawal, as a post-2014 security pact remains unsigned.

The message, delivered on Tuesday, however but did not rule out making a deal on a post-2014 mission with the next Kabul government.

Obama told Karzai by telephone that, since the Afghan leader had refused to sign a Bilateral Security Agreement with Washington, the Pentagon has little option but to draw up a contingency plan for a full pullout, the White House said on Tuesday.

"Specifically, President Obama has asked the Pentagon to ensure that it has adequate plans in place to accomplish an orderly withdrawal by the end of the year...," the White House was quoted as saying by Reuters.

The White House has repeatedly said that without a security agreement, the US and international allies will have to withdraw all troops after the war formally concludes at the end of this year.

The Pentagon has been pushing for the US to keep up to 10,000 troops in Afghanistan after 2014.

Chuck Hagel, the secretary of defence, said: "This is a prudent step given that President Karzai has demonstrated that it is unlikely that he will sign the Bilateral Security Agreement, which would provide DoD personnel with critical protections and authorities after 2014."

"The United States will consult closely with NATO Allies and ISAF Partners in the months ahead, and I look forward to discussing our planning with NATO and ISAF defence ministers in Brussels this week."

*Agencies