Maybe the US is actually ready to leave (and some good men are to be sacrificed to make it look respectable)? and ISI certainly thinks it is going to get the contract when the US leaves. Since Karzai doesnt want to be swinging from a lamppost with cigarettes and dollar bills stuffed into his mouth, so his unhinged behavior has a reason....
SO what do the experts say: what is the US objective now that "victory and democracy" are off the table? A cynic would think the US should aim for a well balanced civil war that keeps Russia, China, India, Pakistan and Iran busy for decades, but with the US you never know. The administration may actually be aiming for something more idealistic.