Afghan soldiers desperate for pact with U.S., criticize President Karzai for delay --- ZABUL, Afghanistan — The Afghan soldiers fighting the Taliban have grown confident in their ability to combat an agile insurgency. But for those on the front lines, one question casts a shadow over the young army’s progress. -- What if the United States — and its funding — vanish from Afghanistan? -- That outcome has become increasingly probable with President Hamid Karzai’s refusal to sign a bilateral security agreement that would allow the United States to maintain a small military presence here beyond 2014. Now, Afghan troops are beginning to raise their voices against Karzai, demanding at great personal risk that he sign the pact. -- More, Kevin Sieff, Washingtonpost