Top U.S. General Seeks Afghan Troops Deal By October

America's top general says he would like to see a security agreement with Afghanistan signed by October, which would give NATO enough time to prepare for a post-2014 military presence.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says he has not been asked to prepare for a "zero option," with no American forces in the Afghanistan after 2014.

But Dempsey warns that a failure to sign a security agreement will mean that no American forces will remain in the country after the pullout date.

Talks on a deal have made little headway after President Hamid Karzai suspended negotiations following a disagreement over a Taliban political office in the Gulf state of Qatar.

Dempsey spoke to reporters in Kabul Monday after talks with Karzai and Afghan military leaders.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)