KABUL - In a meeting on Thursday regarding Afghanistan, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden reportedly favored a total commitment of only 2,000 troops after the NATO combat mission ends in December, a stance said to be indicative of a broader shift that has occurred in Washington in light of the ongoing stalemate over the Kabul-Washington security pact.

According to analysts, 2,000 U.S. troops, a significant reduction from the 8,000-10,000 previously discussed, would only be able to maintain security for the diplomatic assets of the U.S. in Afghanistan. Meaning, such a residual force would not be able to meet the continuing training and logistical support needs of the Afghan forces.

U.S. military officials told the Wall Street Journal that the deadlock facing the Kabul-Washington Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) has begun compelling policymakers to shift their support toward a less ambitious presence in Afghanistan post-2014 than previously imagined.

According to U.S. diplomats, the longer the BSA remains unsigned, the more Washington will have to begin to plan for the "zero-option", which would see all U.S. troops withdraw by the end of the year.

Biden has always favored more of a reduction of the U.S.' role in Afghanistan than many of the top military officials in Washington. Since the start of President Barack Obama's tenure in the White House, Biden has been a champion of "ending the wars", referring to the U.S. engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan inherited from the George W. Bush administration.

However, according to well-placed U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Wall Street Journal, the number of supporters of Biden's approach have increased as negotiations over the BSA have hit a rough patch, with President Hamid Karzai refusing to sign the accord.

More explicitly, a U.S. General told the Wall Street Journal that "we are getting closer to the zero option".

Karzai has maintained that he is willing to go ahead with the BSA so long as the U.S. meets his preconditions of kick starting peace talks with the Taliban and ending unilateral operations on Afghan homes.

The U.S. has shown no intention of meeting Karzai's demands, a stance that is strengthened by the fact the BSA was already approved by a 2,500-person Loya Jirga in Kabul, which is said to best represent the will of the Afghan people. (Tolonews)