Kabul , Afghanistan ( CNN ) -- A vast majority of 2,500 Afghan elders voted Sunday at a traditional gathering to recommend a joint security agreement with the United States . Members attending the 4-day-long loya jirga urged President Hamid Karzai to sign it before the end of the year . Thousands of tribal elders made their way to the capital to join the loya jirga , a grand assembly , to confer on the key issue of whether or not to support the presence in their country of a limited number of U.S. troops beyond next year . Amid some skepticism , they decided it was a good idea . U.S. Secretary of state John Kerry , who finished hammering out the deal with Karzai the day before the loya jirga began , was hopeful that they would . The assembly 's decision is not binding , but Karzai has said he will follow their recommendation under one condition -- that U.S. forces do not conduct house raids . `` If US military forces conduct military operations on Afghan homes even one more time , then there will be no BSA and we wo n't sign it , '' Karzai said Sunday . `` They should give assurance about this to us before I sign it . '' Home raids have been one of the main sore spots between Afghans and Western military presence led by the United States . In spite of the broad backing , elders wanted to see one article changed . The current agreement gives the United States full jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed by the military on Afghan soil . Many at the loya jirga would like to see the cases prosecuted on U.S. bases in Afghanistan , so that victims and their families may have their say in court . CNN 's Greg Botelho contributed to this report .
NEW : Afghans want alleged crimes by U.S. soldiers prosecuted at U.S. bases on their soil . Most Afghan elders at the loya jirga approve of the security deal with the U.S. At a loya Jirga , elder aim to bridge divides among ethnic groups , create consensus . Their decision is not binding , but Afghan President Karzai has said he will abide by it .