Karzai’s furious reaction throws into doubt talks between Kabul and Washington, which began late last year, to decide how many U.S. troops should remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014, and what their exact role should be.

“In view of the contradiction between acts and the statements made by the United States of America in regard to the peace process, the Afghan government suspended the negotiations, currently under way in Kabul, between Afghan and U.S. delegations on the Bilateral Security Agreement,” said Karzai’s office in a statement.

Government sources in Kabul said Karzai was angry because the U.S. announcement could be viewed as a tacit endorsement of the Taliban’s decision to open an office in Doha under the name of the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” – the country’s title during the Taliban regime of the 1990s.